To dismantle

[pugwash52]

When we take something apart we say that we DISMANTLE it. Why do we not say MANTLE it, when we put something together? Any ideas?

[Quizmonkey]

The same reason you can't be mayed, gruntled or tracted presumably...

[jno]

it seems the word came from French, meaning pull down a fortification (from the Latin word meaning a mantle or cloak); they did have a word to mantle, but that never entered English. Perhaps the English were just more interested in pulling things down than putting them up?

[pugwash52]

Thanks for your answers. You've now set me off again,quizmonkey. I shall be furiously trying to think of other words now. My mind will get disTORTED, with the worry of it all.

[Quizmonster]

Half of all men who did National Service back in the 40s/50s tell the story of the ill-educated Corporal who shouted, "Dismantle 'em beds, take 'em into the 'ut next door and mantle 'em again!"
Apocryphal, I'm sure...in most cases.

[jno]

be ane, ept and ert, pugwash

[nickmo]

Err, you can mantle something.

A mantle is a cloak or dressing around another object, in its original meaning, so trees can be 'mantled with moss' for example. A fireplace has a mantle to 'cloak' it and the Earths crust is a mantle.

Latin root gives us dis-mantle meaning to uncover or disrobe or take apart, and as language changes all the time we use expressions in different ways and some older uses get left behind.

Or new ones come in of course......

[hiflier]

Let keep the word 'dismantle', even if we don't 'mantle'. Too often people use 'disassemble', which sounds grotesque.

[pugwash52]

I agree, hiflier. I've never thought about disassemble, but it really is an ugly word.

Dismantlers of the world, unite!