manipulate

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
manipulate /məˈnɪpjʊleɪt/

▶verb

• 1 handle or control with dexterity.

• 2 examine or treat (a part of the body) by feeling or moving it with the hand.

• 3 control or influence cleverly or unscrupulously.

• 4 alter or present (data) so as to mislead.

– derivatives
manipulability noun,
manipulable adjective,
manipulatable adjective,
manipulation noun,
manipulator noun,
manipulatory adjective.

– origin C19: back-form. from earlier manipulation (C18), from L. manipulus ‘handful’.