manta

¹

[ man-tuh; Spanish mahn-tah ]

noun

, plural man·tas [man, -t, uh, z, mahn, -tahs].

1. (in Spain and Spanish America) a cloak or wrap.
2. a type of blanket or cloth used on a horse or mule.
3. Military. a movable shelter formerly used to protect besiegers, as when attacking a fortress.
4. Also called man·ta ray [man, -t, uh, rey], Ichthyology. any of several tropical rays of the small family Mobulidae, especially of the genus Manta, measuring from 2 to 24 feet (0.6 to 7.3 meters) across, including the pectoral fins.

Manta

²

[ mahn-tah, -tuh ]

noun

1. a seaport in W Ecuador, on Manta Bay.

manta

/ ˈmanta; ˈmæntə /

noun

1. Also calledmanta raydevilfishdevil ray any large ray (fish) of the family Mobulidae, having very wide winglike pectoral fins and feeding on plankton
2. a rough cotton cloth made in Spain and Spanish America
3. a piece of this used as a blanket or shawl
4. See mantelet
   another word for mantelet

Word History and Origins

Origin of manta¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Spanish, from Provençal: literally, “blanket”; mantle

Word History and Origins

Origin of manta¹

Spanish: cloak, from Vulgar Latin; see mantle. The manta ray is so called because it is caught in a trap resembling a blanket

Example Sentences

From the outside, it looks a lot like an airborne version of a manta ray.

From Singularity Hub 

Thirty million years before manta rays began gracefully gliding through ocean waters, a shark with fantastically elongated fins gave such underwater flight a go, researchers report in the March 19 Science.

From Science News

Halfway through the game, I was fighting an enormous manta ray sort of thing while on my way to Hell.

From The Daily Beast

For everyone else, the recently unveiled Manta Underwater Room in Zanzibar sounds like a dream come true.

From The Daily Beast

When both sides have been heard, the old men put their heads together under a cloak or manta, and agree upon their judgment.

From Project Gutenberg

Then he pointed to the beautifully worked manta, “Did she squander wealth of hers on that?”

From Project Gutenberg

Miss Dolores had consented to wear a manta de Manila or soft shawl wound gracefully around her, and in her hair a red clavel.

From Project Gutenberg

It is not likely, however, that the manta devours anything larger than the pearl-oyster itself.

From Project Gutenberg

He disguised himself as an antelope, by means of a cloak of cotton cloth (manta) painted to resemble the colouring of the animal.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cloth
• scarf
• stole