Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

mass       (mās)  Pronunciation Key  n.   A unified body of matter with no specific shape: a mass of clay. A grouping of individual parts or elements that compose a unified body of unspecified size or quantity: "Take mankind in mass, and for the most part, they seem a mob of unnecessary duplicates" (Herman Melville). A large but nonspecific amount or number: a mass of bruises. A lump or aggregate of coherent material: a cancerous mass. The principal part; the majority: the mass of the continent. The physical volume or bulk of a solid body. Abbr. m Physics A property of matter equal to the measure of an object's resistance to changes in either the speed or direction of its motion. The mass of an object is not dependent on gravity and therefore is different from but proportional to its weight. An area of unified light, shade, or color in a painting. Pharmacology A thick, pasty mixture containing drugs from which pills are formed. masses The body of common people or people of low socioeconomic status: "Give me your tired, your poor,/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" (Emma Lazarus). tr. & intr.v.   massed, mass·ing, mass·es To gather or be gathered into a mass. adj.   Of, relating to, characteristic of, directed at, or attended by a large number of people: mass education; mass communication. Done or carried out on a large scale: mass production. Total; complete: The mass result is impressive. [Middle English masse, from Old French, from Latin massa, from Greek māza, maza; see mag- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Mass also mass       (mās)  Pronunciation Key  n.   Public celebration of the Eucharist in the Roman Catholic Church and some Protestant churches. The sacrament of the Eucharist. A musical setting of certain parts of the Mass, especially the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. [Middle English masse, from Old English mæsse, from Vulgar Latin *messa, from Late Latin missa, from Latin, feminine past participle of mittere, to send away, dismiss.]

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
mass  (1)

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
mass  (2)

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

mass
adjective
1.	formed of separate units gathered into a mass or whole; "aggregate expenses include expenses of all divisions combined for the entire year"; "the aggregated amount of indebtedness" [syn: aggregate]
noun
1.	the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
2.	(often followed by 'of') a large number or amount or extent; "a batch of letters"; "a deal of trouble"; "a lot of money"; "he made a mint on the stock market"; "see the rest of the winners in our huge passel of photos"; "it must have cost plenty"; "a slew of journalists"; "a wad of money" [syn: batch]
3.	an ill-structured collection of similar things (objects or people)
4.	(Roman Catholic Church and Protestant Churches) the celebration of the Eucharist
5.	a body of matter without definite shape; "a huge ice mass"
6.	the common people generally; "separate the warriors from the mass"; "power to the people" [syn: multitude]
7.	the property of something that is great in magnitude; "it is cheaper to buy it in bulk"; "he received a mass of correspondence"; "the volume of exports" [syn: bulk]
8.	a musical setting for a Mass; "they played a Mass composed by Beethoven"
9.	a sequence of prayers constituting the Christian Eucharistic rite; "the priest said Mass"
verb
1.	join together into a mass or collect or form a mass; "Crowds were massing outside the palace"

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

mass       (mās)  Pronunciation Key  A measure of the amount of matter contained in or constituting a physical body. In classical mechanics, the mass of an object is related to the force required to accelerate it and hence is related to its inertia, and is essential to Newton's laws of motion. Objects that have mass interact with each other through the force of gravity. In Special Relativity, the observed mass of an object is dependent on its velocity with respect to the observer, with higher velocity entailing higher observed mass. Mass is measured in many different units; in most scientific applications, the SI unit of kilogram is used. See Note at weight. See also rest energy, General Relativity.

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
Mass

The common name in the Roman Catholic Church, and among some members of the Anglican Communion, for the sacrament of Communion.

Note: In the Middle Ages in England, mass meant a religious feast day in honor of a specific person; thus, “Christ's Mass,” or Christmas, is the feast day of Christ; and Michaelmas is the feast day of the angel Michael.

[Chapter:] World Literature, Philosophy, and Religion

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
Mass

In music, a musical setting for the texts used in the Christian Church at the celebration of the Mass, or sacrament of Communion. Most Masses have been written for use in the Roman Catholic Church.

Note: Many composers have written Masses; among them are Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Josef Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, Leonard Bernstein, and Duke Ellington.

[Chapter:] Fine Arts

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
mass

In physics, the property of matter that measures its resistance to acceleration. Roughly, the mass of an object is a measure of the number of atoms in it. The basic unit of measurement for mass is the kilogram. (See Newton's laws of motion; compare weight.)

[Chapter:] Physical Sciences and Mathematics

U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

Mass City, MI Zip code(s): 49948

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Mass

A*mass"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Amassed; p. pr. & vb. n. Amassing.] [F. ambusher, LL. amassare; L. ad + massa lump, mass. See Mass.] To collect into a mass or heap; to gather a great quantity of; to accumulate; as, to amass a treasure or a fortune; to amass words or phrases.

The life Homer has been written by amassing all the traditions and hints the writers could meet with. --Pope.

Syn: To accumulate; heap up; pile.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Mass

Hal"low*mas\, n. [See Mass the eucharist.] The feast of All Saints, or Allhallows.

To speak puling, like a beggar at Hallowmas. --Shak.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Mass

High\, a. [Compar. Higher; superl. Highest.] [OE. high, hegh, hey, heh, AS. he['a]h, h?h; akin to OS. h?h, OFries. hag, hach, D. hoog, OHG. h?h, G. hoch, Icel. h?r, Sw. h["o]g, Dan. h["o]i, Goth. hauhs, and to Icel. haugr mound, G. h["u]gel hill, Lith. kaukaras.]

1. Elevated above any starting point of measurement, as a line, or surface; having altitude; lifted up; raised or extended in the direction of the zenith; lofty; tall; as, a high mountain, tower, tree; the sun is high.

2. Regarded as raised up or elevated; distinguished; remarkable; conspicuous; superior; -- used indefinitely or relatively, and often in figurative senses, which are understood from the connection; as (a) Elevated in character or quality, whether moral or intellectual; pre["e]minent; honorable; as, high aims, or motives. "The highest faculty of the soul." --Baxter. (b) Exalted in social standing or general estimation, or in rank, reputation, office, and the like; dignified; as, she was welcomed in the highest circles.

He was a wight of high renown. --Shak. (c) Of noble birth; illustrious; as, of high family. (d) Of great strength, force, importance, and the like; strong; mighty; powerful; violent; sometimes, triumphant; victorious; majestic, etc.; as, a high wind; high passions. "With rather a high manner." --Thackeray.

Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand. --Ps. lxxxix. 13.

Can heavenly minds such high resentment show? --Dryden.

(e) Very abstract; difficult to comprehend or surmount; grand; noble.

Both meet to hear and answer such high things. --Shak.

Plain living and high thinking are no more. --Wordsworth. (f) Costly; dear in price; extravagant; as, to hold goods at a high price.

If they must be good at so high a rate, they know they may be safe at a cheaper. --South. (g) Arrogant; lofty; boastful; proud; ostentatious; -- used in a bad sense.

An high look and a proud heart . . . is sin. --Prov. xxi. 4.

His forces, after all the high discourses, amounted really but to eighteen hundred foot. --Clarendon.

3. Possessing a characteristic quality in a supreme or superior degree; as, high (i. e., intense) heat; high (i. e., full or quite) noon; high (i. e., rich or spicy) seasoning; high (i. e., complete) pleasure; high (i. e., deep or vivid) color; high (i. e., extensive, thorough) scholarship, etc.

High time it is this war now ended were. --Spenser.

High sauces and spices are fetched from the Indies. --Baker.

4. (Cookery) Strong-scented; slightly tainted; as, epicures do not cook game before it is high.

5. (Mus.) Acute or sharp; -- opposed to grave or low; as, a high note.

6. (Phon.) Made with a high position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate, as [=e] ([=e]ve), [=oo] (f[=oo]d). See Guide to Pronunciation, [sect][sect] 10, 11.

High admiral, the chief admiral.

High altar, the principal altar in a church.

High and dry, out of water; out of reach of the current or tide; -- said of a vessel, aground or beached.

High and mighty arrogant; overbearing. [Colloq.]

High art, art which deals with lofty and dignified subjects and is characterized by an elevated style avoiding all meretricious display.

High bailiff, the chief bailiff.

High Church, & Low Church, two ecclesiastical parties in the Church of England and the Protestant Episcopal Church. The high-churchmen emphasize the doctrine of the apostolic succession, and hold, in general, to a sacramental presence in the Eucharist, to baptismal regeneration, and to the sole validity of Episcopal ordination. They attach much importance to ceremonies and symbols in worship. Low-churchmen lay less stress on these points, and, in many instances, reject altogether the peculiar tenets of the high-church school. See Broad Church.

High constable (Law), a chief of constabulary. See Constable, n., 2.

High commission court,a court of ecclesiastical jurisdiction in England erected and united to the regal power by Queen Elizabeth in 1559. On account of the abuse of its powers it was abolished in 1641.

High day (Script.), a holy or feast day. --John xix. 31.

High festival (Eccl.), a festival to be observed with full ceremonial.

High German, or High Dutch. See under German.

High jinks, an old Scottish pastime; hence, noisy revelry; wild sport. [Colloq.] "All the high jinks of the county, when the lad comes of age." --F. Harrison.

High latitude (Geog.), one designated by the higher figures; consequently, a latitude remote from the equator.

High life, life among the aristocracy or the rich.

High liver, one who indulges in a rich diet.

High living, a feeding upon rich, pampering food.

High Mass. (R. C. Ch.) See under Mass.

High milling, a process of making flour from grain by several successive grindings and intermediate sorting, instead of by a single grinding.

High noon, the time when the sun is in the meridian.

High place (Script.), an eminence or mound on which sacrifices were offered.

High priest. See in the Vocabulary.

High relief. (Fine Arts) See Alto-rilievo.

High school. See under School.

High seas (Law), the open sea; the part of the ocean not in the territorial waters of any particular sovereignty, usually distant three miles or more from the coast line. --Wharton.

High steam, steam having a high pressure.

High steward, the chief steward.

High tea, tea with meats and extra relishes.

High tide, the greatest flow of the tide; high water.

High time. (a) Quite time; full time for the occasion. (b) A time of great excitement or enjoyment; a carousal. [Slang]

High treason, treason against the sovereign or the state, the highest civil offense. See Treason.

Note: It is now sufficient to speak of high treason as treason simply, seeing that petty treason, as a distinct offense, has been abolished. --Mozley & W.

High water, the utmost flow or greatest elevation of the tide; also, the time of such elevation.

High-water mark. (a) That line of the seashore to which the waters ordinarily reach at high water. (b) A mark showing the highest level reached by water in a river or other body of fresh water, as in time of freshet.

High-water shrub (Bot.), a composite shrub (Iva frutescens), growing in salt marshes along the Atlantic coast of the United States.

High wine, distilled spirits containing a high percentage of alcohol; -- usually in the plural.

To be on a high horse, to be on one's dignity; to bear one's self loftily. [Colloq.]

With a high hand. (a) With power; in force; triumphantly. "The children of Israel went out with a high hand." --Ex. xiv. 8. (b) In an overbearing manner, arbitrarily. "They governed the city with a high hand." --Jowett (Thucyd. ).

Syn: Tall; lofty; elevated; noble; exalted; supercilious; proud; violent; full; dear. See Tall.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Mass

Kir"mess\, n. [D. kermis; cf. G. kirmes; prop., church mass. See Church, and Mass a religious service.] In Europe, particularly in Belgium and Holland, and outdoor festival and fair; in the United States, generally an indoor entertainment and fair combined.

Acronym Finder - Cite This Source - Share This

MASS

MASS: in Acronym Finder