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| man·tle [ mánt'l ] |
noun (plural man·tles) |
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| Definition: |
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1. sleeveless cloak: a loose sleeveless cloak
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2. wire mesh for light: a small circle of wire mesh in a gas or oil lamp that gives out incandescent light when heated by the flame it surrounds
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3. transferred position: a role or position, especially one that can be passed from one person to another
(
formal
)
  assumed the mantle of the presidency
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4. covering: something that envelops or covers something else
(
literary
)
a mantle of snow
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5. zoology shell-producing gland: a layer of epidermis in a mollusk or brachiopod with glands that secrete a shell-producing substance
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6. geology central part of Earth: the part of Earth or another planet that lies between the crust and core
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7. bird's back and shoulder: the upper back of a bird, lying between the scapulars
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8. architecture
Another spelling of mantel
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verb (past and past participle man·tled, present participle man·tling, 3rd person present singular man·tles) |
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| Definition: |
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1. transitive verb cover something: to cover something with a mantle or something resembling a mantle
hilltops mantled with snow
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2. intransitive verb to become flushed: to be filled or suffused with something
(
refers to the face
)
a stern brow mantled with care
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| [Pre-12th century. Via Old French mantel< Latin mantellum "cloak"] |
