Mantel
/ˈmæntəl/noun
A shelf above a fireplace, or the shelf and decorative framework around it.
Did you know?Mantel comes from the same ancient root as *mantle* and originally meant a cloak or covering, so the fireplace mantel was literally the “cloaked” part of the room.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*men-
“to project or stick out; to remain, dwell”
Late Latin
Latin
mantellum
“a cloak or cover”
Old French
Old French
mantel
“a cloak, mantle”
Middle English
English
mantel
“a mantelpiece or fireplace shelf”
Modern English
English
mantel
“the shelf and decorative framework around a fireplace”