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Glite Dictionary
🛡️ A portable shield 🧥 A short cape
mantelet

mantelet

9.9
A movable shelter that protects soldiers from enemy arrows or bullets
  • noun
  • /ˈmæntəˌlɛt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : mantelete
  • Engineers built a makeshift mantelet to shield workers repairing the breach in the wall.

Examples

  • The mantelet protected the soldiers.

  • During the siege, soldiers moved a mantelet forward to protect themselves from arrows.

  • The old fortress still displayed a wooden mantelet once used by defenders.

  • They used mantelets for cover.

  • During the siege, the soldiers took cover behind a mantelet to protect themselves from enemy fire.

  • The commander ordered his troops to set up a mantelet as they advanced towards the fortifications.

  • In historical battles, a mantelet provided crucial protection for soldiers under heavy fire.

Synonyms

mantlet
vsmantelet
  • Specialized
9.9

A movable shield that protects soldiers from enemy fire

is the same word with identical meaning but an alternate spelling

Surface Forms

mantelet singular
mantelets plural

Morphology

mantelet = mantle (semi-transparent) = mantle + et

The word is formed as a diminutive of 'mantle' implying a small covering, but the specialised military sense 'portable protective shelter' is a figurative extension not directly derivable by all learners.

Etymology

Mantelet comes from the French manteau and the small ending -let, where manteau means 'cloak' and -let means 'small'. So a mantelet is literally a 'little cloak', which helps you remember the military meaning: a small portable 'cover' or shield that soldiers used to protect themselves.