Meanings
mangle1
present singular third person mangles · participle present mangling · participle past mangled · past mangled
- transitiveTo change, mutilate, or disfigure by cutting, tearing, rearranging, etc.
c. 1703-20, Jonathan Swift, A Letter to a Very Young Lady on Her Marriage when they are disposed to mangle a play or a novel
1 more example
mangled with ghastly wounds through plate and mail
1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC - transitivecomputingTo modify (an identifier from source code) so as to produce a unique identifier for internal use by the compiler, etc.
mangle2
present singular third person mangles · participle present mangling · participle past mangled · past mangled
mangle3
plural mangles
- Synonym of mangrove.
- CaribbeanUSAny of various trees of the genus Rhizophora, especially the red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle).
- CaribbeanUSA forest of such trees.
- CaribbeanUSPreceded by a descriptive word: any of various shrubs or trees of genera other than Rhizophora which resemble plants of this genus in appearance and habitat.
Mangle4
- A surname.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA hand-operated device with rollers, for wringing laundry.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
mangle · verb
- Old English*mancian
- Middle English*mankelen
- Old Frenchmangonner“to cut to pieces”
- Middle Englishmangelen
- Englishmangle
From Middle English mangelen, manglen, from Anglo-Norman mangler, mahangler, frequentative of either Old French mangonner (“to cut to pieces”) or mahaigner (“to mutilate”), of Germanic origin, for which see mayhem. Alternate etymology derives mangle from Middle English *mankelen, a frequentative form of manken (“to mutilate”), from Old English *mancian, bemancian (“to maim”). More at mank.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Old English
Full word history & related roots →mangle · noun, verb
- Ancient Greekμάγγανον
- Medieval Latinmanga
- Middle High Germanmange
- GermanMangel
- Dutchmangel
- Englishmangle
Ca. 1700, from Dutch mangel, from Early Modern German Mangel (15th c.), enhanced form (by analogy with other tool names in -el) of Middle High German mange, from Medieval Latin manga, manganum, from Ancient Greek μάγγανον (mánganon). Doublet of mangonel.
More words from Dutch, German, Middle High German
Full word history & related roots →mangle · noun
- Spanishmangle
- Englishmangle
Borrowed from Spanish mangle, mangue, probably from an Arawak language (such as Taíno), or a Cariban language.
More words from Spanish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek κνᾰ́πτω
- κνᾰ́πτω (knắptō)to change, mutilate or disfigure
Bulgarian обезобразя́вам, обезобразя́
- обезобразя́вам (obezobrazjávam)to change, mutilate or disfigure
- обезобразя́ (obezobrazjá)to change, mutilate or disfigure
- преса (presa)a hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
Czech mrzačit, mandl
- mrzačitto change, mutilate or disfigure
- mandla hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
- mandlovatto wring laundry
- ždímatto wring laundry
Dutch door de mangel halen, mangelen
- door de mangel halento change, mutilate or disfigure
- mangelento change, mutilate or disfigure
- mangela hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
- wringera hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
- mangelento wring laundry
Finnish ruhjoa, runnoa
- ruhjoato change, mutilate or disfigure
- runnoato change, mutilate or disfigure
- murjoato change, mutilate or disfigure
- mankelia hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
- mankeloidato wring laundry
French mutiler, essoreuse
- mutilerto change, mutilate or disfigure
- essoreusea hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
- essorerto wring laundry
German verstümmeln, zerfleischen
- verstümmelnto change, mutilate or disfigure
- zerfleischento change, mutilate or disfigure
- durch die Mangel drehento change, mutilate or disfigure
- kalandrierento change, mutilate or disfigure
- zurichtento change, mutilate or disfigure
- Mangela hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
- Wäschemangela hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
- Rollmangela hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
- mangelnto wring laundry
- wringento wring laundry
- auswringento wring laundry
Hungarian mángorló, mángorol
- mángorlóa hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
- mángorolto wring laundry
Italian maciullare, dilaniare
- maciullareto change, mutilate or disfigure
- dilaniareto change, mutilate or disfigure
- storpiareto change, mutilate or disfigure
- manganoa hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
Latin discerpō
- discerpōto change, mutilate or disfigure
Polish maglownica, magiel
- maglownicaa hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
- magiela hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
- maglowaćto wring laundry
- zmaglowaćto wring laundry
Portuguese mutilar, desfigurar
- mutilarto change, mutilate or disfigure
- desfigurarto change, mutilate or disfigure
- mudarto change, mutilate or disfigure
Romanian mutila, desfigura
- mutilato change, mutilate or disfigure
- desfigurato change, mutilate or disfigure
- sfârticato change, mutilate or disfigure
- mangăla hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
- mangăluito wring laundry
Russian искажа́ть, кромса́ть
- искажа́ть (iskažátʹ)to change, mutilate or disfigure
- кромса́ть (kromsátʹ)to change, mutilate or disfigure
- по́ртить (pórtitʹ)to change, mutilate or disfigure
- кале́чить (kaléčitʹ)to change, mutilate or disfigure
- уве́чить (uvéčitʹ)to change, mutilate or disfigure
- уро́довать (uródovatʹ)to change, mutilate or disfigure
- като́к (katók)a hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
- выжима́ть (vyžimátʹ)to wring laundry
Spanish mutilar, desfigurar
- mutilarto change, mutilate or disfigure
- desfigurarto change, mutilate or disfigure
- afearto change, mutilate or disfigure
- chambonearto change, mutilate or disfigure
- calandriaa hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
Swedish mangla, mangel
- manglato change, mutilate or disfigure
- mangela hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
- manglato wring laundry
Turkish mengene
- mengenea hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
Ukrainian кото́к
- кото́к (kotók)a hand-operated device with rollers for wringing laundry
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with mangle
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
mangle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mangle
“mangle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mangle. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mangle,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mangle.
Source: mangle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.