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

This deep sea thallium would have then fallen into the mantle in the nearby subduction zone, where the boundary of one tectonic plate slips under another. — Sophia Chen, WIRED, "New Analysis Techniques Unearth a Trove of Unusual Minerals," 1 July 2019 Add an eight-inning, nine-strikeout showing to Montas’ mantle. — Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, "3 takeaways from A’s roller-coaster walk-off win capped by Matt Chapman home run," 21 June 2019 Elevated gravity readings are found over higher-density mantle rocks found in oceanic crust, and lower readings over lighter, continental structures. — Richard Kemeny, Science | AAAS, "As countries battle for control of North Pole, science is the ultimate winner," 20 June 2019 LeBron certainly holds the mantle as the most hyped prospect of the modern era, though Oden certainly belongs in the conversation for second place in the 21st century. — Michael Shapiro, SI.com, "Greg Oden Leans on His NBA Experience to Advise Future Stars," 19 June 2019 Natural light from all sides enhances the den with a wood-burning fireplace and mantle restored from the original 1920s version. — Lisa Zapalac, Houston Chronicle, "Stunning home a City of Houston landmark," 16 June 2019 The rapper, actor, philanthropist and writer has racked up enough awards to fill a few mantles. — Jasmine Grant, Essence, "Common Reveals His Desire To Be A Husband: 'I Just Want That Partnership'," 14 June 2019 Having soaked the rocks, the water moves down through the Earth's mantle. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Pangea Gave Us Modern Oceans," 10 June 2019 There were no fireplace mantles or big chandeliers. — Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville couple refurbished their Victorian home to highlight historic touches," 6 June 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.