I. man ‧ gle 1 /ˈmæŋɡ ə l/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Anglo-French ; Origin: mangler , from Old French maynier ; ⇨ ↑ maim ]
1 . to damage or injure something badly by crushing or twisting it:
The trap closed round her leg, badly mangling her ankle.
2 . to spoil something such as a speech or piece of music, by saying or playing it badly:
The orchestra had mangled Bach’s music.
—mangled adjective [only before noun] :
the mangled remains of the aircraft
II. mangle 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Middle Dutch ; Origin: mangel , from Middle High German mange 'mangle, military weapon for throwing rocks' ]
a machine used in former times to remove water from washed clothes by pressing them between two ↑ roller s