mantle

¹ American  

[man-tl] / ˈmæn tl /

noun

1. a loose, sleeveless cloak or cape.

2. something that covers, envelops, or conceals.

   The well-known street was made unfamiliar by the mantle of darkness.

   Synonyms:

   cloak, screen, blanket, cover, veil

3. Geology. the portion of the earth, about 1,800 miles (2,900 km) thick, between the crust and the core.

4. a role or position, or the activities and responsibilities that come with that role or position.

   The founder's granddaughter assumes the mantle of CEO this month.

   We're hopeful that ordinary citizens will take up the mantle of climate activism.

5. 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.

6. 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.

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

8. a construction framing the opening of a fireplace; mantel.

9. 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.

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verb (used with object)

mantled, mantling

1. to cover with or as if with a cloak or cape; envelop; conceal.

   The peak of the mountain was mantled by clouds.

verb (used without object)

mantled, mantling

1. to spread or cover a surface.

   Behold the mercy of God mantling over all the earth.

2. to flush; blush.

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

4. to be or become covered with a coating, as a liquid; foam.

   The champagne mantled in the glass.

Mantle ² American  

[man-tl] / ˈmæn tl /

noun

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

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

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mantle British  

/ 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

3. anything that covers completely or envelops

   a mantle of snow

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

5. Also called: pallium.  zoology

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

   2. a similar structure in brachiopods

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

7. 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

8. a less common spelling of mantel

9. anatomy another word for pallium

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

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verb

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

2. to spread over or become spread over

   the trees were mantled with snow

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

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

mantle Scientific  

/ măn′tl /

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.

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mantle Cultural  

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

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Discover More

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

Other Word Forms

• unmantled adjective

Etymology

Origin of mantle

First recorded before 900; Middle English mantel, Old English mæntel, from Latin mantellum

Explanation

A mantle is a word for something that blankets over something else, like the loose cloak worn by Little Red Riding Hood or the layer of earth between the crust and core. Mantle is something that envelops and covers, like a tree covered in a mantle of snow. The Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra said, “Blessings on him who invented sleep, the mantle that covers all human thoughts.” Here, sleep is described as a mantle blanketing over the mind. Mantel is a variation of mantle, but it very specifically describes the shelf above a fireplace.

Example Sentences

“We’re happy to pass that mantle off to somebody else.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Heavy metals such as iron sink inward and create the core, while lighter material remains above and eventually becomes the mantle and later the crust.

From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026

Born and raised in San Antonio, the singer’s father and aunt are both Tejano musicians who inspired Leo to take up the family mantle and put her own spin on the genre.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

Over the years, Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi’s airports took that mantle.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026

At other times it would plunge beneath, stirring up the mantle and resulting in long spells of volcanic activity and earthquakes.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• veil