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Added 9 October 2026

mangle

/ˈmæŋ.ɡ(ə)l/ noun

In Latin: discerpō Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about mangle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Clothes dryer for drying and ironing laundry by passing it between two heavy heated rollers.

verb

Press with a mangle.
mangle the sheets
Injure badly by beating.
Alter so as to make unrecognizable.
The tourists murdered the French language

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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