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man·tel also man·tle

(măntl)

1. An ornamental facing around a fireplace. Also called regionally mantelpiece.

2. The protruding shelf over a fireplace. Also called regionally mantelpiece, mantelshelf, fireboard.

[Middle English mantel (as in mantiltre, beam over fireplace opening, perhaps from its use for drying wet clothing); see MANTELTREE.]

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mantel

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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