mantel

or man·tle

[ man-tl ]

/ ˈmæn tl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mantel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a construction framing the opening of a fireplace and usually covering part of the chimney breast in a more or less decorative manner.

Also called mantelshelf. a shelf above a fireplace opening.

Nearby words

Origin of mantel

1480–90; earlier mantell mantelet; variant of mantle

Also called man·tel·piece

[man-tl-pees] /ˈmæn tlˌpis/, mantlepiece.

Can be confusedmantel mantle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mantelpiece

And she said, “No, you are on fire,” and my arm had caught on fire from a candle on this mantelpiece.
Stephen Merchant Talks ‘Hello Ladies’ movie, the Nicole Kidman Cameo, and Legacy of ‘The Office’|Marlow Stern|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Each of those women had a sepia photograph on the mantelpiece, of a young man in uniform.
The Tragic, Heroic Women of World War I|Jacqueline Winspear|June 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Over the mantelpiece, that was Henry Irving, the 19th-century actor-manager who was the first English actor to be knighted.
Spending a Day With Peter O’Toole|Malcolm Jones|December 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
"Sadly he ran into the wrong people and he is now on someone's mantelpiece somewhere probably," he said.
William Attacks 'Selfish and Ignorant' Rhino Poachers|Tom Sykes|June 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Miss Winstead, the governess, resumed her letter, and a clock on the mantelpiece struck out seven silvery chimes.
Daddy's Girl|L. T. Meade
He always in the end sank down into his box or clambered back to his mantelpiece.
The Art of Letters|Robert Lynd
She rose and walked to the fireplace, her elbows on the mantelpiece, and her head back.
The Daffodil Mystery|Edgar Wallace
She turned away sharply, rested her elbows on the mantelpiece and her head in her hands.
The Rake's Progress|Marjorie Bowen
As he turned, his gaze encountered an oil-painting hanging above the mantelpiece.
The Kingdom Round the Corner|Coningsby Dawson

British Dictionary definitions for mantelpiece

mantelpiece

/ (ˈmæntəlˌpiːs) /

noun

Also called: mantel shelf, chimneypiece a shelf above a fireplace often forming part of the mantel

another word for mantel (def. 1)

mantel

less commonly mantle

/ (ˈmæntəl) /

noun

a wooden or stone frame around the opening of a fireplace, together with its decorative facing

Also called: mantel shelf a shelf above this frame

Word Origin for mantel

C15: from French, variant of mantle

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 mantelpiece

mantelpiece

1680s, from mantel + piece (n.).

mantel

c.1200, "short, loose, sleeveless cloak," variant of mantle (q.v.). Sense of "movable shelter for soldiers besieging a fort" is from 1520s. Meaning "timber or stone supporting masonry above a fireplace" first recorded 1510s, a shortened form of Middle English mantiltre "mantletree" (late 15c.).

mantel

or man·tle

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of mantel

Examples from the Web for mantelpiece

mantelpiece

noun

mantel

less commonly mantle

noun

Word Origin for mantel

mantelpiece

mantel