What does manto mean?
A manto is a long, draped shawl or outer garment traditionally worn by women in South Asia. It may be made from lightweight cotton or fine silk and can be wrapped around the shoulders or drawn over the head and body. In contemporary use, the word often suggests a graceful, flowing garment suited to ceremonial, festive, or formal dress, and it may also describe the distinctive shawl worn with traditional South Asian clothing. Historically, however, an English manto was simply a cloak or mantle. The modern South Asian meaning and its associations with textile traditions make it more specific than the general English word “shawl.” Although dictionaries and international English sources generally recognize the term, it is much more common in South Asia than in everyday British or American speech. It should not be confused with “memento,” which means a keepsake and shares only a similar spelling.
nounA long, draped garment or shawl worn especially by women in South Asia. In historical English, the term also referred to a cloak or mantle.
- A scarf-like or shawl-like outer garment worn by women in South Asia.
- A cloak or mantle, especially in historical or literary usage.
"She draped a richly embroidered manto over her shoulders as she left the house."
"At the ceremony, she wore a long silk manto over a bright formal dress."
"The museum displays an embroidered manto from the nineteenth century."
The usual plural for the South Asian garment or shawl.
"Several embroidered mantos were displayed at the textile exhibition."
The word travelled from a Latin cloak through Portuguese into South Asian dress, where it became the name of an elegant, flowing shawl.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of manto
The English word ultimately comes from Latin mantum, meaning “cloak” or “mantle.” It entered European languages through forms such as Portuguese manto and French manteau and was borrowed into South Asian languages, including Hindi and Urdu, in the form mantō. Over time, the South Asian sense developed into the modern English sense of a long shawl-like garment worn by women.
How manto is actually used
In modern usage, the word is chiefly associated with South Asia and may sound literary or regional to speakers of British and American English. It is more specific than the general word “shawl” and is often used for a long, flowing, or elaborately decorated garment.
Easily confused with manto
A manto is a garment or shawl, whereas a memento is an object kept as a reminder of a person, place, or event.