mace

1
[ meys ]
See synonyms for mace on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a clublike armor-breaking weapon of war, often with a flanged or spiked metal head, used chiefly in the Middle Ages.

  2. a ceremonial staff carried before or by certain officials as a symbol of office.

  1. Billiards. a light stick with a flat head, formerly used at times instead of a cue.

Origin of mace

1
1250–1300; Middle English <Old French (compare French masse) large mallet <Vulgar Latin *mattea; akin to Latin matteola kind of mallet; compare Sanskrit matya harrow

Other definitions for mace (2 of 3)

mace2
[ meys ]

noun
  1. a spice ground from the layer between a nutmeg shell and its outer husk, resembling nutmeg in flavor.

Origin of mace

2
1350–1400; Middle English, back formation from macis (taken as plural) <Middle French <Latin maccis a spice

Other definitions for Mace (3 of 3)

Mace
[ meys ]

Trademark.
  1. Also called Chemical Mace. a nonlethal spray containing purified tear gas and chemical solvents that temporarily incapacitate a person mainly by causing eye and skin irritations: used especially as a means of subduing rioters.

verb (used with object),Maced, Mac·ing.
  1. (sometimes lowercase) to attack with Mace spray.

Origin of Mace

3
1965–70; probably from mace1 (in the sense “clublike weapon”)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for mace (1 of 3)

mace1

/ (meɪs) /


noun
  1. a club, usually having a spiked metal head, used esp in the Middle Ages

  2. a ceremonial staff of office carried by certain officials

  1. an early form of billiard cue

Origin of mace

1
C13: from Old French, probably from Vulgar Latin mattea (unattested); apparently related to Latin mateola mallet

British Dictionary definitions for mace (2 of 3)

mace2

/ (meɪs) /


noun
  1. a spice made from the dried aril round the nutmeg seed

Origin of mace

2
C14: formed as a singular from Old French macis (wrongly assumed to be plural), from Latin macir an oriental spice

British Dictionary definitions for Mace (3 of 3)

Mace

/ (meɪs) US /


noun
  1. trademark a liquid causing tears and nausea, used as a spray for riot control, etc

verb
  1. (tr; sometimes not capital) to use Mace on

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012