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mace

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mace

1[meys]
–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.
3. macebearer.
4. Billiards. a light stick with a flat head, formerly used at times instead of a cue.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME < OF (cf. F masse) large mallet < VL *mattea; akin to L matteola kind of mallet; cf. Skt matya harrow

mace

2[meys]
–noun
a spice ground from the layer between a nutmeg shell and its outer husk, resembling nutmeg in flavor.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME, back formation from macis (taken as pl.) < MF < L maccis a spice

Mace

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

Mace

[meys]
–verb (used with object), Maced, Mac⋅ing.
(sometimes lowercase) to attack with Mace spray.

Origin:
see Mace
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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mace 1   (mās)   
n.  
  1. A ceremonial staff borne or displayed as the symbol of authority of a legislative body.

  2. A macebearer.

  3. A heavy medieval war club with a spiked or flanged metal head, used to crush armor.


[Middle English, from Old French masse, from Vulgar Latin *mattea.]
mace 2   (mās)   
n.  An aromatic spice made from the dried, waxy, scarlet or yellowish covering that partly encloses the kernel of the nutmeg.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin macis, alteration of Latin macir, fragrant ailanthus resin, from Greek makir.]
Mace   (mās)   
A trademark used for an aerosol used to immobilize an attacker temporarily. This trademark often occurs in print in uppercase or lowercase as a verb and a noun: "shouted at police after he was Maced when he rushed the fence" (David Shepardson).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: Mace
Pronunciation: 'mAs
Function: trademark
—used for a temporarily disabling liquid that when sprayed in the face of a person causes tears,dizziness, immobilization, and sometimes nausea
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Mace or MACE (mās)

An alternate trademark used for Chemical Mace, an aerosol used to immobilize an attacker temporarily.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Computing Dictionary

MACE
A concurrent object-oriented language.

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Encyclopedia

mace

spice consisting of the dried aril, or lacy covering, of the nutmeg fruit of Myristica fragrans, a tropical evergreen tree. Mace has a slightly warm taste and a fragrance similar to that of nutmeg. It is used to flavour bakery, meat, and fish dishes; to flavour sauces and vegetables; and in preserving and pickling

Learn more about mace with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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