mantle

1 of 2

noun

man·​tle ˈman-tᵊl 

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 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

5

a

: 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

2 of 2

verb

mantled; mantling 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

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms

Noun

• cloak
• cape

Verb

• wrap
• shroud
• envelop
• enclose
• veil
• bosom

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

The Squad-style socialism that once seemed relatively confined to college campuses and activist social media feeds will claim the mantle of America's most powerful city. —MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025

Raped with a statue of Jesus plucked from a mantle. —Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025

Verb

Farms with multiple species also provide habitat for colorful and charismatic wildlife such as the endangered Yellow-eared Parrot and mantled howling monkey. —Marianne Krasny, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

Again mantle ahead of the 2028 GOP presidential primary. —Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 5 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

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

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing mantle

• lady's mantle
• take on the mantle of

Rhymes for mantle

• dismantle
• mantel
• santal

Kids Definition

mantle

1 of 2 noun

man·​tle ˈmant-ᵊl 

1

: a loose sleeveless garment worn over other clothes : cloak

2

a

: something that covers or surrounds

a mantle of snow

a mantle of secrecy

b

: a fold or lobe or pair of lobes of the body wall of a mollusk or brachiopod that lines and produces the shell

3

: the portion of the earth lying between the crust and the core

mantle

2 of 2 verb

mantled; mantling ˈmant-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

: to cover or surround with or as if with a mantle

Medical Definition

mantle

noun

man·​tle ˈman-tᵊl 

1

: something that covers, enfolds, or envelops

2

: cerebral cortex

Biographical Definition

Mantle

biographical name

Man·​tle ˈman-tᵊl 

Mickey (Charles) 1931–1995 American baseball player