Denotes a feeding trough or manger used to hold fodder for domestic animals such as oxen or donkeys. In classical Greek the word could extend to any stall or feeding place, and proverbially an ox at its phatnē signified comfort and ease. The New Testament usage centers on the Lukan nativity, where the manger becomes the humble cradle for the Messiah (Luke 2:7, 12, 16), and on Jesus' Sabbath argument that even a tied ox or donkey is loosed from its manger for watering (Luke 13:15). Spanish pesebre and French crèche both preserve the concrete livestock-feeding sense.