I. ˈmaŋgəl, -aiŋ- transitive verb
( mangled ; mangled ; mangling -g(ə)liŋ ; mangles )
Etymology: Middle English manglen, from Anglo-French mangler, freq. of Old French mahaignier, maynier to maim — more at maim
1.
a. : to cut, bruise, or hack with repeated blows or strokes : make a ragged or torn wound or series of wounds on
the trees had been whittled and chewed and mangled with a dull ax — Wallace Stegner
rocks mangled the feet of the animals — American Guide Series: Nevada
b. : to destroy the shape of by a violent blow or crash
the mangled coaches — Associated Press
2. : to spoil, mutilate, or make incoherent through bungling, ignorance, or deliberate falsification
mangling a phrase out of its true context — F.L.Mott
they altered the sequence, they mangled the text — Barbara Ward
the pianist mangled the concerto
Synonyms: see maim
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Spanish, from Taino
1. : mangrove
2. : any of several trees or shrubs (as Avicennia nitida and Laguncularia racemosa ) that resemble the mango
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Dutch mangel, from German, from Middle High German, diminutive of mange mangonel, mangle, from Late Latin manganum — more at mangonel
1. : a machine for ironing laundry work by passing it between heated rollers
2. : a machine for applying starch or other sizing material to textiles and then smoothing and drying them
3. : a machine resembling a hand wringer for rolling rubber latex into sheets
4. : a cylinder machine that makes stereotype molds from dry flong by impressing it on a form
5. : padder 1b
IV. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Dutch mangelen, from German mangeln, from mangel, n.
: to press or smooth (as damp linen) with a mangle