First Known Use: 13th century
Dictionary
1mantle
noun man·tle \ˈman-təl\
: 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
Full 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 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 c : the outer wall and casing of a blast furnace above the hearth; 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 material that gives light by incandescence when placed over a flame
5
a : regolith b : the part of the interior of a terrestrial planet and especially the earth that lies beneath the crust and above the central core
6
: mantel
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Origin of MANTLE
Middle English mantel, from Anglo-French, from Latin mantellum
2mantle
verb
: to cover or surround (something)
man·tledman·tling \ˈmant-liŋ, ˈman-təl-iŋ\
Full Definition of MANTLE
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
First Known Use of MANTLE
13th century
Mantle
biographical name Man·tle \ˈman-təl\
Definition of MANTLE
Mickey (Charles) 1931–1995 Am. baseball player
MANTLE Defined for Kids
mantle
noun man·tle \ˈman-təl\
Definition of MANTLE for Kids
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\
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