mantle

[ man-tl ]
See synonyms for mantle on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a loose, sleeveless cloak or cape.

  2. something that covers, envelops, or conceals: the mantle of darkness.

  1. Geology. the portion of the earth, about 1,800 miles (2,900 km) thick, between the crust and the core.: Compare core1 (def. 10), crust (def. 6).

  2. Zoology. a single or paired outgrowth of the body wall that lines the inner surface of the valves of the shell in mollusks and brachiopods.

  3. a chemically prepared, incombustible network hood for a gas jet, kerosene wick, etc., that, when the jet or wick is lighted, becomes incandescent and gives off a brilliant light.

  4. Ornithology. the back, scapular, and inner wing plumage, especially when of the same color and distinct from other plumage.

  5. Metallurgy. a continuous beam set on a ring of columns and supporting the upper brickwork of a blast furnace in such a way that the brickwork of the hearth and bosh may be readily replaced.

verb (used with object),man·tled, man·tling.
  1. to cover with or as if with a mantle; envelop; conceal.

verb (used without object),man·tled, man·tling.
  1. to spread or cover a surface, as a blush over the face.

  2. to flush; blush.

  1. (of a hawk) to spread out one wing and then the other over the corresponding outstretched leg.

  2. to be or become covered with a coating, as a liquid; foam: The champagne mantled in the glass.

Origin of mantle

1
before 900; Middle English mantel,Old English mæntel<Latin mantellum

Other words for mantle

Other words from mantle

  • un·man·tled, adjective

Words that may be confused with mantle

Words Nearby mantle

Other definitions for Mantle (2 of 2)

Mantle
[ man-tl ]

noun
  1. Mickey (Charles), 1931–95, U.S. baseball player.

  2. (Robert) Burns, 1873–1948, U.S. journalist.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use mantle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mantle

mantle

/ (ˈmæntəl) /


noun
  1. archaic a loose wrap or cloak

  2. such a garment regarded as a symbol of someone's power or authority: he assumed his father's mantle

  1. anything that covers completely or envelops: a mantle of snow

  2. a small dome-shaped or cylindrical mesh impregnated with cerium or thorium nitrates, used to increase illumination in a gas or oil lamp

  3. Also called: pallium zoology

    • a protective layer of epidermis in molluscs that secretes a substance forming the shell

    • a similar structure in brachiopods

  4. ornithol the feathers of the folded wings and back, esp when these are of a different colour from the remaining feathers

  5. geology the part of the earth between the crust and the core, accounting for more than 82% of the earth's volume (but only 68% of its mass) and thought to be composed largely of peridotite: See also asthenosphere

  6. a less common spelling of mantel

  7. anatomy another word for pallium (def. 3)

  8. a clay mould formed around a wax model which is subsequently melted out

verb
  1. (tr) to envelop or supply with a mantle

  2. to spread over or become spread over: the trees were mantled with snow

  1. (tr) (of the face, cheeks) to become suffused with blood; flush

  2. (intr) falconry (of a hawk or falcon) to spread the wings and tail over food

Origin of mantle

1
C13: via Old French from Latin mantellum, diminutive of mantum cloak

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for mantle

mantle

[ măntl ]


  1. The layer of the Earth between the crust and the core. It is about 2,900 km (1,798 mi) thick and consists mainly of magnesium-iron silicate minerals, such as olivine and pyroxene. It has an upper, partially molten part, which is about 660 km (409 mi) thick, and a lower, solid part. The upper mantle is the source of magma and volcanic lava.

  2. The layer of soft tissue that covers the body of a clam, oyster, or other mollusk and secretes the material that forms the shell.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for mantle

mantle

The region of the interior of the Earth between the core (on its inner surface) and the crust (on its outer).

Notes for mantle

The mantle is more than two thousand miles thick and accounts for more than three-quarters of the volume of the Earth.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.