mantel

noun

man·​tel ˈman-tᵊl 

1

a

: a beam, stone, or arch serving as a lintel to support the masonry above a fireplace

b

: the finish around a fireplace

2

: a shelf above a fireplace

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Mantle vs. Mantel

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 mantel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Each of her mantels is essentially a hollow, rectangular box made from wood planks. —Hannah Holland, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2024

Photographed by Annie Leibovitz, Vogue, December 2003 THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS Wrapped in ocean-blue Balenciaga couture, Alice perched on the mantel, longing to escape into the shadow world, as her black kitty purred nearby. —Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 28 Feb. 2024

Tuck them into vases, along the mantel, or into a length of garland. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2024

The living room, now open to the dining room, sports its original Kentucky bluestone fireplace mantel. —Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024

Insider reported that the replica could not be seen in subsequent photos of the fireplace mantel in the Oval Office, which means that Ivanka Trump may have fudged the story about her father still proudly showing it to world leaders. —Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024

But that approach is changing as designers are increasingly placing moss in the spotlight, embracing it as a substitute for evergreens in holiday wreaths or draping swaths of it across mantels and tabletops. —Jenny Comita, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2023

There are six vintage marble mantels, two of which can be wood burning. —Mark David, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024

Her fireplace mantel — which was originally in the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City — is one of the most special additions to the room. —Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 6 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, mantle

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

mantel

noun

man·​tel ˈmant-ᵊl 

: the beam, stone, arch, or shelf above a fireplace