–. Although we can say that most writers differentiate the homophones, there is still a significant number who seem unaware of the existence of mantel. Since they are both nouns, picking the right word can be confusing. One type of wood that you might burn in a fireplace is elm. Here are some more examples. Keep using mantel instead of mantle? Since mantel and elm are both spelled with the letters EL, it will be easy to remember when to use mantel. In the house where I grew up, the mantel was brick, but they can be stone or a big wooden beam or something else. English mantle and mantel both derive from the Latin word for "cloak," mantellum, which was adopted into Old English in the form mentel. The noun mantel refers to a shelf above a fireplace. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Why Does 'At Bay' Mean to Hold Off Something. She has appeared as a guest expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the Today Show. Unfortunately, whoever invented the languages currently in use apparently did not try as hard as we would’ve liked. The word's association with solidly-built objects may have stoked the usage of mantle for the shelf. Women who bear children and choose not to give them up for adoption take on the mantle of motherhood. Rick has been a character who’s almost arrogant in his confidence, no longer questioning the mantle of leadership but embracing it. Regardless, you can remember the correct spelling by thinking of a telephone sitting on your fireplace mantel. In modern usage, mantel refers to a shelf above a fireplace and mantle refers to a cloak or covering. Both candidates will continue fracking, coyote Biden's favorite word? The mantle in these expressions is a metaphorical cloak (see definition 1 above). I will use each word is a sentence to demonstrate its proper context. It then specified the long cloaks worn by royalty, dignitaries, and ecclesiastics as symbols of authority or preeminence. Mantle is the correct spelling in the various forms of the phrases under the mantle and take/pick up/put on the mantle. A few centuries later, portable sundials were introduced. Copyright © 2020 Macmillan Holdings, LLC. Mantel is a noun. Since elm is one type of wood that you might burn in a fireplace, you can use the relationship between these words to remember when to use mantel instead of mantle. The mantle of leadership passed from father to son. The picture of us on the mantel is from the days when we were happy together. A mantel is the structure surrounding a fireplace. What is the Difference Between Mantel and Mantle? In modern usage, mantel refers to a shelf above a fireplace and mantle refers to a cloak or covering. What does mantel mean? The princess rode a white horse and wore a purple mantle, to signify royalty. In Latin, mantellum also referred to a beam or stone supporting the masonry above a fireplace.