mantle

man·tle (man′təl)

noun

a loose, sleeveless cloak or cape: sometimes used figuratively, in allusion to royal robes of state, as a symbol of authority or responsibility
anything that cloaks, envelops, covers, or conceals hidden under the mantle of night
a small meshwork hood made of a noncombustible substance, such as a thorium or cerium compound, which when placed over a flame, as in a lantern, gives off a brilliant incandescent light
the outer wall and casing of a blast furnace, above the hearth
mantel
Anat. the cortex of the cerebrum
Geol.
1. the layer of the earth's interior between the crust and the core
2. mantle rock
Zool.
1. a major part of a mollusk or similar organism consisting of a sheet of epithelial tissue with muscular, neural, and glandular elements: it covers the viscera and foot under the shell of univalve or bivalve mollusks, secretes the shell, and forms the body of cephalopods
2. the soft outer body wall of a tunicate or barnacle
3. the plumage on the back and folded wings of certain birds when it is all the same color

Etymology: ME mantel < OE mentel & OFr mantel, both < L mantellum, mantelum, a cloth, napkin, cloak, mantle < ? Celt

transitive verb -·tled, -·tling

to cover with or as with a mantle; envelop; cloak; conceal

intransitive verb

to be or become covered, as a surface with scum or froth
to spread like a mantle, as a blush over the face
to blush or flush
Falconry to spread first one wing, then the other, over the outstretched legs: said of a perched hawk

Converse of object

don: To assume an identity is to don the mantle appropriate to the account to be offered.
inherit: Thus, the modern embalmer inherits the mantle passed on through the centuries.
assume: Tony Blair, almost of my generation, which makes me feel very old, assumes the mantle of Prime Minister.

Adjective modifier

lithospheric: Alkaline igneous rocks and geochemical enrichment in the lithospheric mantle.
uppermost: Lithosphere is called the solid part of the earth, including the crust and the uppermost mantle.
incandescent: But please bear in mind that in terms of light output, they can't compete with incandescent mantles or filaments.
icy: To a limited extent, attempts have been made to study icy grain mantles using traditional matrix isolation techniques in high vacuum.
upper: These plates float on the partially molten rocks of the upper mantle.
wooden: Original fire with tiled hearth, backing and wooden mantle.

Modifies a noun

plume: The location of mantle plumes during the initial stages of Gondwana break up.
convection: A view into a high resolution mantle convection simulation.
lymphoma: Which is good news, but with mantle cell lymphoma, you cannot become complacent.
cavity: They feed on detritus and plankton which they trap on a mucous net in their mantle cavity.
shelf: Originally displayed on the mantle shelf over the fire.

Noun used with modifier

cement: The inner and outer contours of the cement mantles was traced from CT scans and the thickness and cross-sectional area determined.
timber: Coal effect living flame gas fire with marble hearth and inset with timber mantle surround.
marble: There is an open fire place with a marble mantle and a gas log fire along one wall there are shelves with cupboards below.

Possessives

earth: The behavior of the Earth's mantle remains a first order problem in the Earth Sciences.
lady: Damper areas support species such as meadowsweet, ragged robin, water avens, lady's mantle and meadow fescue.

Preposition: of

drumlin: Below ca 350m, there is an almost complete mantle of drumlins forming an internationally acknowledged type example of a'drumlin swarm ' .

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