mantle

Universal Words noun, verb noun 1 [sing.] the ~ of sb/sth (literary) the role and responsibilities of an important person or job, especially when they are passed on from one person to another: The vice-president must now take on the mantle of supreme power. * She will soon inherit her father's mantle. 2 [C] (literary) a layer of sth that covers a surface: hills with a mantle of snow * a grey mantle of mist shrouding the slopes 3 [C] a loose piece of clothing without sleeves, worn over other clothes, especially in the past 4 (also gas mantle) [C] a cover around the flame of a gas lamp that becomes very bright when it is heated 5 [sing.] (geology) the part of the earth below the CRUST and surrounding the CORE verb [VN] (literary) to cover the surface of sth: Heavy mists mantled the forested slopes behind the village.