noun / verb
mangle
A machine that presses laundry between rollers.
The laundry used a mangle to press the sheets.
Etymology
The laundry-machine word comes from Dutch mangel. It names the roller press and is historically separate from the verb meaning to mutilate.
More examples
- She fed the damp cloth through the mangle.
- The sheets were mangled between heavy rollers.
- The museum demonstrated an old hand-operated mangle.
Forms
mangle · mangles · mangled · mangling
Similar words
- wringer
- A wringer removes water by squeezing; a mangle can also press and smooth laundry.
- press
- Press is the broader machine category; a mangle uses rollers to compress cloth.