mantle

noun

man·tle | \ ˈman-tᵊl

Definition of mantle

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : a loose sleeveless garment worn over other clothes : cloak

b : a figurative cloak symbolizing preeminence or authority accepted the mantle of leadership

2a : something that covers, enfolds, or envelops (see envelop sense 1) The ground was covered with a mantle of leaves.

b(1) : a fold or lobe or pair of lobes of the body wall of a mollusk or brachiopod that in shell-bearing forms lines the shell and bears shell-secreting glands

(2) : the soft external body wall that lines the test or shell of a tunicate or barnacle (see barnacle sense 2)

c : the outer wall and casing of a blast furnace above the hearth (see hearth sense 1c) broadly : an insulated support or casing in which something is heated

3 : the upper back of a bird

4 : a lacy hood or sheath of some refractory (see refractory entry 1 sense 3) material that gives light by incandescence when placed over a flame

5a : regolith

b : the part of the interior of a terrestrial (see terrestrial sense 3) planet and especially the earth that lies beneath the crust and above the central core

6 : mantel

mantle

verb

mantled; mantling\ ˈmant-liŋ

, ˈman-tᵊl-iŋ \

Definition of mantle (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

: to cover with or as if with a mantle : cloak the encroaching jungle growth that mantled the building— Sanka Knox

intransitive verb

1 : to become covered with a coating

2 : to spread over a surface

3 : blush her rich face mantling with emotion— Benjamin Disraeli

Mantle

biographical name

Man·tle | \ ˈman-tᵊl

Definition of Mantle (Entry 3 of 3)

Mickey (Charles) 1931–1995 American baseball player

Synonyms Mantle vs. Mantel More Example Sentences Learn More about mantle

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Mantle vs. Mantel

Noun

Keeping mantel and mantle straight is relatively simple.

Mantel in modern English largely does one job: it refers to the shelf above a fireplace. You can remember it by thinking of the "el" in both mantel and shelf.

Mantle on the other hand, does many jobs, including a number that are technical or scientific. Its most common uses are to refer to a literal cloak, mostly of the kind worn in days of yore ("she drew her mantle tighter"), and to a figurative cloak symbolizing authority or importance ("taking on the mantle of the museum's directorship"). It also refers to a general covering in literary uses like "wet earth covered in a mantle of leaves" or "a past shrouded in a mantle of secrecy." And it's also the term for the middle layer of the Earth between the crust and the inner core.

There is, however, a catch to these distinctions: mantle is sometimes used (especially in American English) to refer to the shelf above a fireplace as well—that is, as a synonym of mantel.

This isn't terribly surprising, given the histories of the words. They both derive from the Latin word mantellum, which refers both to a cloak and to a beam or stone supporting the masonry above a fireplace. The words came into use in English a couple centuries apart, but were for a time in the past nothing more than spelling variants.

While it's certainly simpler to use mantle in all cases, mantel is significantly more common as the choice for the shelf, which means it's the safer choice in those cases.

Examples of mantle in a Sentence

Noun

She accepted the mantle of leadership. a long black velvet mantle

Verb

early-morning fog mantled the fields along the river

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In rallying her troops, Boudica claimed a populist mantle. — Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, "The Brexit Warnings to Be Found in Sheep Grazing in a London Park," 3 Sep. 2019 For example, in 2015, Apple took up the mantle as a strong privacy advocate by not allowing the FBI to access the data stored on the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone. — Don Reisinger, Fortune, "Apple Opts out of Saving Siri Recordings by Default, Turning Another Controversy into a Marketing Moment," 28 Aug. 2019 Another thing Brenda told her charges: in the old days a Savannah hostess would display a pineapple on the mantle or the dining table. — George Hobica, chicagotribune.com, "Gentle manners, strong cocktails, historic homes in Savannah," 20 Aug. 2019 Italy’s volcanism comes from the fact that the country rests near the collision of several tectonic plates—fragments of Earth’s crust and upper mantle that are engaged in a game of geologic bumper cars. — National Geographic, "Six underwater volcanoes found hiding in plain sight," 2 Aug. 2019 If touchdown is successful, the Vikram lander will serve as a listening station for seismic waves from moonquakes, which could reveal more details about the structure of the lunar core, mantle and crust. — Shekhar Chandra, Scientific American, "What to Expect from India’s Second Moon Mission," 12 July 2019 After breaking with her elders in the black Democratic establishment to back a winning government reform measure, Turner has emerged as the region's 'it' politician of the moment -- a mantle that provokes no shortage of speculation. — Sabrina Eaton, cleveland.com, "Cleveland’s Nina Turner ‘people raises’ for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders," 5 July 2019 His dying wish was for Dane to take up the mantle and restore the Black Knight’s legacy. — Alejandra Salazar, refinery29.com, "Kit Harington Will Wield A Different Kind Of Sword For Marvel’s The Eternals," 24 Aug. 2019 Several other characters have briefly taken up the mantle, and Danvers herself became Captain Marvel in 2012. — Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Ms. Marvel' Series in the Works for Disney+ (Exclusive)," 23 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

And now, the Bay Area’s fourth-largest city can add to its awards mantle the fifth-place trophy among the most unfaithful cities in the nation. — Joseph Geha, The Mercury News, "Fremont ranks as fifth most unfaithful city in the nation on affairs website hotlist," 19 June 2019 Piero has also taken the liberty of eliminating red in Mary’s clothing, mantling her solely in her other primary color, blue, an expensive shade made from lapis lazuli brought from Afghanistan along the Silk Road. — Willard Spiegelman, WSJ, "On the Brink of the Savior’s Arrival," 12 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mantle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

mantle

Definition of mantle

Synonyms for mantle

Mantle vs. Mantel

Examples of mantle in a Sentence

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