The spelling of the word "mangles" is quite straightforward once you know its phonetic transcription. According to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), "mangles" is pronounced as /ˈmæŋɡəlz/. This means that the word is made up of two syllables, with the stress on the first syllable "man". The first vowel sound is an open "a" as in "cat", followed by a velar nasal consonant "ng". The second syllable is pronounced with a schwa sound "ə" and ends with a voiceless "s" consonant.
Mangles is a noun that refers to a large and heavy machine used for squeezing water out of wet laundry or cloth. It typically consists of two cylindrical rollers, usually made of metal, and works by pressing the wet fabric between them and applying pressure. The purpose of using a mangle is to extract excess water from freshly washed laundry before it is hung or laid out for drying. This device was commonly used in the past, particularly in households or laundries where hand-wringing was impractical due to the large volume of laundry to be processed.
The term "mangle" can also double as a verb, denoting the act of using a mangle machine to squeeze and wring water out of wet fabric. This action helps in achieving quicker drying times and making the laundry easier to handle. Moreover, the term "mangle" can also be used figuratively to describe the severe disfigurement or deformation of an object, often caused by mishandling or improper treatment. In this sense, it refers to the act of damaging or mangling something beyond recognition or repair.
Overall, "mangles" refer to both a type of machine used for extracting water from wet laundry and the action of using this machine, while it can also describe the severe deformation or damage inflicted upon an object.
The word "mangles" has an interesting etymology. It comes from the Middle English word "mangel", which originally referred to a type of root vegetable, similar to a beet or turnip. The word "mangel" itself derived from the Old Norman French word "mangel", meaning "a kind of beet". This in turn came from the Old Norse word "mangold", which referred to the same root vegetable. Over time, the term "mangel" was also used to describe the machine used to crush or flatten cloth, known as a "mangle", which gave rise to the plural form "mangles". Hence, the word "mangles" has its origins in the Old Norse word "mangold", meaning a type of root vegetable.