MANTLE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

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mantle

1 of 2

noun

man·tle ˈman-tᵊl Synonyms 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 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

cape capote cloak frock manteau

Verb

bosom bower circumfuse cocoon embosom embower embrace enclose inclose encompass enfold enshroud enswathe envelop enwrap invest involve lap muffle shroud swathe veil wrap See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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 Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback . Noun There’s a difference between [Riri] and maybe a Captain America or a Black Panther, where a mantle is being passed. Demicia Inman, VIBE.com , 15 May 2025 Diamond Head on the island of O’ahu, showed magma storage around 13 to 18 miles deep, all within the Earth’s mantle . Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine , 15 May 2025 Verb One other surprise: profane though Ross could be in conversation, his cheek was easily mantled with a blush. Anthony Lane, New Yorker , 5 May 2025 However, pyroclastic flow deposits mantle the valleys around the volcano. Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine , 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mantle

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

Time Traveler The first known use of mantle was in the 13th century See more words from the same century

Phrases Containing mantle

lady's mantle take on the mantle of

Rhymes for mantle

dismantle mantel santal See All Rhymes for mantle

Browse Nearby Words

mantis shrimp mantle Mantle See all Nearby Words

Articles Related to mantle

The Good, The Bad, & The

The words that defined the week of December 14th, 2018

Is It 'Mantle' or 'Mantel'?

You can't put on a mantel, but you can put things on a mantle.

Cite this Entry

Style MLA Chicago APA Merriam-Webster

“Mantle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mantle. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

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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

More from Merriam-Webster on mantle

Nglish: Translation of mantle for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mantle

Last Updated: 23 May 2025 - Updated example sentences Love words? Need even more definitions?

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