mangle

1
[ mang-guh l ]
/ ˈmæŋ gəl /

verb (used with object), man·gled, man·gling.

to injure severely, disfigure, or mutilate by cutting, slashing, or crushing: The coat sleeve was mangled in the gears of the machine.
to spoil; ruin; mar badly: to mangle a text by careless typesetting.

QUIZZES

FOR POSTERITY’S SAKE, TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Are words your bailiwick? Take the latest quiz on the words from July 6 to July 12 to find out.
Question 1 of 7
bailiwick
a creature, variously described as a serpent, lizard, or dragon, said to kill by its breath or look.
place or source of origin.
a person's area of skill, knowledge, authority, or work.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of mangle

1
1350–1400; Middle English < Anglo-French mangler, perhaps dissimilated variant of Old French mangonner to mangle; akin to mangonel

SYNONYMS FOR mangle

1 See maim.
2 deface; destroy.

OTHER WORDS FROM mangle

man·gler, noun

Words nearby mangle

mangemange, manger, mangetout, mangey, mangia-cake, mangle, mango, mango madness, mangoky, mangold-wurzel, mangonel
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for mangler

British Dictionary definitions for mangler (1 of 2)

mangle1
/ (ˈmæŋɡəl) /

verb (tr)

to mutilate, disfigure, or destroy by cutting, crushing, or tearing
to ruin, spoil, or mar

Derived forms of mangle

mangler, nounmangled, adjective

Word Origin for mangle

C14: from Norman French mangler, probably from Old French mahaignier to maim

British Dictionary definitions for mangler (2 of 2)

mangle2
/ (ˈmæŋɡəl) /

noun

Also called: wringer a machine for pressing or drying wet textiles, clothes, etc, consisting of two heavy rollers between which the cloth is passed

verb (tr)

to press or dry in a mangle

Word Origin for mangle

C18: from Dutch mangel, ultimately from Late Latin manganum. See mangonel
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012