1570s, "deprive or strip of fortifications or equipment, raze, destroy, tear down," from Middle French desmanteler "to tear down the walls of a fortress," literally "strip of a cloak," from des- "off, away" (see dis-) + manteler "to cloak," from mantel "cloak" (see mantle (n.)). The literal sense, "deprive of dress, strip" (c. 1600) is archaic or obsolete in English. Related: Dismantled; dismantling.
