mantle

noun man·tle \ ˈman-tᵊl \

|Updated on: 6 Jun 2018

Examples: mantle in a Sentence

Editor's Note: mantle vs. mantel

Definition of mantle

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

b : a figurative cloak symbolizing preeminence or authority

accepted the mantle of leadership

2 a : something that covers, enfolds, or envelops (see envelop 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 2)

c : the outer wall and casing of a blast furnace above the hearth (see hearth 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 ¹refractory 3) material that gives light by incandescence when placed over a flame

5 a : regolith

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

6 : mantel

See mantle defined for English-language learners

See mantle defined for kids

Examples of mantle in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of mantle from the Web

In works of clay at Night Gallery, Brooklyn artist Brie Ruais takes up the mantle of a body-conscious strain of feminist sculpture.

— sharon mizota, latimes.com, "Brie Ruais puts all of her body weight into each sculpture she makes," 19 May 2018
Single: Winnipeg taking up the mantle in the quest to end Canada’s 24-year Stanley Cup drought.

— the si staff, SI.com, "NHL Mid-Playoffs Roundtable: Biggest Surprise, Conn Smythe Predictions, More," 11 May 2018
In neither case did Congress as a whole seek to take up Jefferson’s mantle.

— andrew rudalevige, Washington Post, "If the Iran deal had been a Senate-confirmed treaty, would Trump have been forced to stay in? Nope.," 9 May 2018
And Jakub Jozef Orlinski is ready to assume that mantle.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Youth and experience score separate victories, as Orlinski debuts and Pollini returns," 24 Apr. 2018
Since Prabowo’s loss in 2014, Gerindra has assumed the mantle of the country’s main opposition party while Prabowo has remained visible in the political arena.

— Bloomberg.com, "Indonesian General Prabowo Poised to Run for President," 26 Feb. 2018
In taking up that mantle, Steve Rogers has become one of the most beloved characters in pop culture, and the defining spirit of the first generation of Avengers.

— alex abad-santos, Vox, "Avengers: Infinity War feels like the beginning of a goodbye to Captain America," 9 May 2018
Kucinich had tried to carry the mantle of progressive U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders – to limited effect – while Cordray attempted to downplay his history of support for gun rights.

— jessie balmert, Cincinnati.com, "Rematch in Ohio governor's race as Mike DeWine, Richard Cordray emerge in primary," 8 May 2018
The mountain erupts because magma rises buoyantly from Earth’s mantle, like a cork rising through water.

— wendell duffield, Scientific American, "How Kilauea’s Lava Invades Neighborhoods," 8 May 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 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.

Origin and Etymology of mantle

Middle English mantel, from Anglo-French, from Latin mantellum

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

mantle Synonyms

Synonyms

blanket, cloak, cope, cover, cover-up, covering, curtain, hood, mask, pall, robe, shroud, veil, wraps;

Related Words

blind, concealer, screen, shield;

fig leaf, Trojan horse;

camouflage, disguise, facade (also façade), face, mask, veneer;

gloss, varnish;

mantle

verb

Definition of mantle

mantled; mantling play \ˈmant-liŋ, ˈman-tᵊl-iŋ\

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

See mantle defined for English-language learners

Examples of mantle in a Sentence

early-morning fog mantled the fields along the river

Origin and Etymology of mantle

see ¹mantle

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

mantle Synonyms

Mantle

biographical name Man·tle \ ˈman-tᵊl \

Definition of Mantle

Mickey (Charles) 1931–1995 American baseball player

MANTLE Defined for English Language Learners

mantle

noun

Definition of mantle for English Language Learners

: a loose piece of clothing without sleeves that was worn over other clothes especially in the past
: something that covers or surrounds something else
: the position of someone who has responsibility or authority

mantle

verb

Definition of mantle for English Language Learners

: to cover or surround (something)

MANTLE Defined for Kids

mantle

noun man·tle \ ˈman-tᵊl \

Definition of mantle for Students

1 : a loose sleeveless outer garment

2 : something that covers or wraps

The town was covered with a mantle of snow.

3 : the part of the earth's interior beneath the crust and above the central core

4 : a fold of the body wall of a mollusk that produces the shell material

Medical Dictionary

mantle

noun man·tle \ ˈman-tᵊl \

medical Definition of mantle

1 : something that covers, enfolds, or envelops

2 : cerebral cortex

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See words that rhyme with mantle Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for mantle Spanish Central: Translation of mantle Nglish: Translation of mantle for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of mantle for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mantle

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mantle

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mantle vs. mantel

Origin and Etymology of mantle

mantle Synonyms

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mantle

Definition of mantle

Examples of mantle in a Sentence

Origin and Etymology of mantle

mantle Synonyms

Synonyms

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Mantle

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MANTLE Defined for English Language Learners

mantle

Definition of mantle for English Language Learners

mantle

Definition of mantle for English Language Learners

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mantle

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mantle

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