mangle

[mang-guh l]

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.

Origin of mangle

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

Related formsman·gler, noun

Synonyms for mangle

1. See maim. 2. deface; destroy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for mangler

Contemporary Examples of mangler

“Trucks” and “The Mangler” are Arthur C. Clarke specials: machines on the rampage.
Great New Reads
The Daily Beast
October 31, 2010

Historical Examples of mangler

Mrs. Tramore had got rid of Mr. Mangler, and Bertram Jay was in other quarters.
The Real Thing and Other Tales
Henry James
I was not a "mangler," but I went in and asked to see the boss.
The Woman Who Toils
Mrs. John Van Vorst and Marie Van Vorst
Mr. Mangler did nothing but say how charming he thought his hostess of the Sunday, and what a tremendously jolly visit he had had.
The Real Thing and Other Tales
Henry James
Mr. Mangler sat down; he alluded with artless resentment to the way, in July, the door of his friends had been closed to him.
The Real Thing and Other Tales
Henry James
She had to reflect that one does what one can and that Mr. Mangler probably thought he was delicate.
The Real Thing and Other Tales
Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for mangler

mangle

verb (tr)

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

Derived Formsmangler, nounmangled, adjective

Word Origin for mangle

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

mangle

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

Word Origin and History for mangler

mangle

clothes-pressing machine, 1774, from Dutch mangel, apparently short for mangelstok, from stem of mangelen to mangle, from Middle Dutch mange, ultimately from root of mangonel.

mangle

"to mutilate," c.1400, from Anglo-French mangler, frequentative of Old French mangoner "cut to pieces," of uncertain origin, perhaps connected with Old French mahaignier "to maim, mutilate, wound" (see maim). Meaning "to mispronounce (words), garble" is from 1530s. Related: Mangled; mangling.