A mantle is a type of sleeveless outer garment that often has a hood. Think of a long cloak with a hood.
You'll usually see people wearing mantles in old movies or historical dramas to show off their rich clothes. They're also worn by some clergy members as part of their formal robes. In addition to its role as clothing, the word "mantle" can be used figuratively – it might refer to the responsibility or task that is passed on from one person to another. For example, if someone takes over a difficult job, they might say it's been "bequeathed to them by their predecessor" or simply "put on their mantle."
How common is "mantle"?
Word mantle is considered rare in modern English. It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.
Definitions
noun
The shelf above a fireplace which may be also a structural support for the masonry of the chimney.
A maneuver to surmount a ledge, involving pushing down on the ledge to bring up the body. Also called a mantelshelf.
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noun
A piece of clothing somewhat like an open robe or cloak, especially that worn by Orthodox bishops. (Compare mantum.)
A figurative garment representing authority or status, capable of affording protection.
Example: At the meeting, she finally assumed the mantle of leadership of the party.
Anything that covers or conceals something else; a cloak.
The body wall of a mollusc, from which the shell is secreted.
The back of a bird together with the folded wings.
The zone of hot gases around a flame.
A gauzy fabric impregnated with metal nitrates, used in some kinds of gas and oil lamps and lanterns, which forms a rigid but fragile mesh of metal oxides when heated during initial use and then produces white light from the heat of the flame below it. (So called because it is hung above the lamp's flame like a mantel.)
The outer wall and casing of a blast furnace, above the hearth.
A penstock for a water wheel.
The cerebral cortex.
The layer between the Earth's core and crust.
A mantling.
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verb
To cover or conceal (something); to cloak; to disguise.
To become covered or concealed.
To spread like a mantle (especially of blood in the face and cheeks when a person flushes).
