cloak, mantle, cape, manto, capa etc.
Heidita suggested that I post this so that people could give their answers
Manto as a garment
Here goes what I feel: I suppose in older times people wore a manto meaning cloak. Nowadays nobody wears a manto except a king in a coronation or the Pope in a very special occasion etc. In that case the word is manto and it's a garment.
Capa as a garment
When nowadays we wear a cape a garment like a sleeveless coat but probably shorter we call it capa This is not very common but some people wear a "capa" . It all depends on the fact if a designer says it's in fashion. In my country we have some raincoats without sleeves and could be called "capa impermeable" or "capita impermeable" for children. A "torero" or bullfighter uses a "capa" with the bull.I think it's called capote, or kind of a big capa
Another use of manto
Mostly people use "manto" metaphorically or in Geography and Geology with the meaning of "layer".
For example, un manto de nieve, un manto de niebla, un manto de silencio, un manto de hielo, un manto de humo, un manto de invisibilidad, etc.
Another example " El rey tenía a su sobrino bajo su manto. (like under his protection)
Let's see how other people feel aboot all this.
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4 Answers
From Word Reference:
Spanish to English
manto nm (capa) cloak, cape n (literary) mantle n Se puso la ropa y encima un manto porque hacía frío. manto nm (capa de la virgen) cape n Para la procesión le voy a hacer un manto a la Virgen. manto nm (capa que recubre) blanket n Después de la nevada toda la calle estaba cubierta de un manto blanco. manto nm (pelaje) coat, fur coat n Los caballos esteparios solían tener el manto castaño. manto nm . (parte de la Tierra) mantle, layer n La Tierra está compuesta por corteza, manto y núcleo
I think mantle in English may give the wrong impression - it is used nowadays figuratively rather than for a garment [at least in the UK]
Cloak to me is slightly old fashioned - it comes from the Latin word meaning bell. I think of a cloak as a heavy garment below the knee or longer. It does not have sleeves and may have a hood.
A cape is sleeveless. It can be a small item just covering the shoulders or can be longer. We refer to the garment worn by a bullfighter as a cape and the Pope often wears a cape I tend to think of it as more lightweight and usually shorter than a cloak.
When the Queen had her coronation the embellished and embroidered dress she wore was called a gown and the heavy cloak with train she wore was called a robe.
A judge and a priests traditional clothes are referred to as robes
When I used to do some court work I had to wear a gown which is a sleeveless black garment which covers your clothes. A judge also wears a gown as do students when they graduate.
when I was a child ponchos became popular - the seem to be a piece of cloth with a hole for your head but no armholes.
We also use cape for a geographical feature for which you use the word cabo.
I'm not sure what you wished us to comment on. There may be differences between UK and USA but we all agree Batman wears a cape.
I, personally, have never used the word "mantle" for any piece of clothing. The Pope wears one on special occasions but that's the only context I can think of where it wouldn't sound odd to me and even then I'm not sure that I would have been able to think of the word if I had too.
I wouldn't normally choose the word "cloak" either. The only examples that come to mind are a "cloak of invisibility" that a fictitious magician might use or figuratively "the thief escaped under the cloak of darkness" but even that I wouldn't actually say. It sounds like something I might read in a piece of literature. When I think of a cloak, I think of a heavy, long cape, possibly with a hood, and, like Mardle said, it seems old-fashioned to me. I think a cloak can almost always be called a cape.
I would say that superheroes and bullfighters wear capes, never cloaks. The Phantom of the Opera, Dracula and the Headless Horseman wear cloaks but it wouldn't seem at all strange to me if you called them capes. I think Little Red Riding Hood is usually depicted wearing a cloak but most people call it a cape.
Hello!
Here are two link differences in English & Spanish.
Hope this helps.
Regards!
