Word Confusion: Mantel versus Mantle

Posted April 4, 2016 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
8 July 2023

The question of mantel versus mantle came up in a book I was editing, and I found myself questioning which was which. As usual, one of the words is a variant on the other and can be used in either situation . . . if you’re writing about a fireplace!

Anything else will use mantle.

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Mantel Mantle

A

Mantlepiece courtesy of Sean PathasemaBirmingham Museum of Art and under the CC BY 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.

A fancy mantel for someone’s fireplace.


A 1918 sketch by Michael Il Tabarro of a mantle

Carambra Bozzetto Originale Per Costume de Il Tabarro is Sailko’s own work under the GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0, or CC BY 2.5 license, via Wikimedia Commons in keeping with the GFDL.

It’s quite a festive lining for this mantle.

Part of Grammar:
Noun

Plural: mantels

A variant of mantle

Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive

Plural for the noun: mantles
Gerund: mantling

Third person present verb: mantles
Past tense or past participle: mantled
Present participle: mantling

A wood or stone construction framing the opening of a fireplace and usually covering part of the chimney breast in a more or less decorative manner

  • A beam, stone, or arch serving as a lintel to support the masonry above a fireplace
  • The finish around a fireplace

A shelf above a fireplace opening

Noun:
A loose sleeveless cloak or shawl, worn especially by women

  • A covering of a specified sort
  • [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
  • 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
  • [Ornithology] The back, scapular, and inner wing plumage, especially when of the same color and distinct from other plumage
  • An important role or responsibility that passes from one person to another
  • [Medicine] A covering layer of tissue

[Geology] The portion of the earth, about 1,800 miles (2900 km) thick, between the crust and the core

Verb, intransitive:
[Literary] Clothe in or as if in a mantle

  • [Of the face] Glow with a blush
  • [Archaic; of a liquid] Become covered with a head or froth

[Of a bird of prey on the ground or on a perch] Spread the wings and tail, especially so as to cover captured prey

Verb, transitive:
[Literary] Clothe in or as if in a mantle

  • Cloak or envelop
  • [Archaic; of blood] Suffuse (the face)
Examples:
The stockings were hung from the mantel for Santa to fill.

A mantel shelf is a beautiful showcase for trophies.

River rocks and an ancient beam make up the mantel in their mountain home.

Noun:
The houses were covered with a thick mantle of snow.

She caught up her mantle, swirling it around her shoulders before she stepped out of the house.

Turn up that mantle on the lantern. We need more light.

The second son has now assumed his father’s mantle.

Rule carries the mantles of two clans.

Verb, intransitive:
Her rich face mantling with emotion, Mary turned away.

Getting a proper mantle of froth on a Guinness involves a precise process.

When mantling, feeding birds may exhibit other nervous behavior including frequent looks at the surrounding area to scan for intruders or shuffling feet to continually readjust the mantling cover to disrupt views from different directions.

Verb, transitive:
Heavy mists mantled the forested slopes.

A warm pink mounted to the girl’s cheeks and mantled her brow.

Derivatives:
Noun: mantel shelf, mantelpiece, mantelshelf Adjective: unmantled
Noun: gas mantle, mantling
History of the Word:
From Old English mentel, from the Latin mantellum.

1480-90 as a shortened form of the Middle English mantiltre meaning mantletree, from the earlier mantell, mantelet.

Mid-16th century, as a specialized use of mantle.

Before 900.

Middle English mantel, from the Old English mæntel, which is from the Latin mantellum meaning cloak, reinforced in Middle English by the Old French mantel.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Resources for Mantel versus Mantle

Apple Dictionary.com

Dictionary.com: mantel and mantle

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Pinterest Photo Credits

Flux of Crustal Material in the Mantle by Erin Walde is under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. Stone Mantel, 16th Century is Daderot‘s own work courtesy of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and is under the CC0 1.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.

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