Mangle

Mangle

Verb / Noun · /ˈmæŋ.ɡəl/

Definition

(Verb) to severely damage or mutilate something by cutting, crushing, or tearing; to spoil or ruin something through carelessness, incompetence, or mishandling; (Noun) a laundry machine with two rollers for squeezing water from washed clothes or pressing them smooth.

Origin

(Verb) From Old French mahaignier (to mutilate), the same root as maim. The verb mangle and the noun maim are thus related. (Noun) From Dutch mangel, from German Mangel, from Medieval Latin mango (machine for smoothing cloth), ultimately from Greek manganon (axis, machine). The two senses of mangle — the violent verb and the laundry noun — have entirely different etymological origins that converged on the same spelling.