A shelf above a fireplace where decorative items like candles, photos, or ornaments are placed.
From 'mantle' (a cloak or covering) combined with 'piece.' The word originally referred to the hood or covering that directs smoke up from the fireplace; the shelf came later.
The 'mantle' in mantelpiece originally described the actual hood that hung over a fireplace to catch smoke—it's like the word got stuck there even after people stopped using those hoods and just kept the decorative shelf!
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