# mantel

Pronunciation: US say "MAN-tuhl" /ˈmæn.təl/; UK

## Noun

1. The shelf above a fireplace, which may also serve as a structural support for the chimney's masonry.
   - Simple: The shelf above a fireplace, which can also help hold up the chimney.
   - _She lined the mantel with family photos and a pair of brass candlesticks._
   - _The mason replaced the cracked stone mantel that helped carry the brick chimney above it._
2. In climbing, a move for getting up onto a ledge by pushing down on it to raise the body.
   - Simple: In climbing, a move where you push down on a ledge to lift your body onto it.
   - _The crux of the route is an awkward mantel onto a sloping ledge._
   - _She worked through a series of mantels to reach the top of the boulder._

## Verb

3. In climbing, to get up onto a ledge by pushing down on it to raise the body.
   - Simple: In climbing, to get onto a ledge by pushing down on it and lifting your body up.
   - _From the crack, you mantel onto a narrow shelf and rest before the final wall._
   - _He manteled the ledge with a grunt and rolled onto his back._

## Origin

A variant of mantle ("cloak, robe"), now distinguished from it in sense.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/mantel (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).