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masque

 - 8 dictionary results

masque

  [mask, mahsk]
Use masque in a Sentence
–noun
1. a form of aristocratic entertainment in England in the 16th and 17th centuries, originally consisting of pantomime and dancing but later including dialogue and song, presented in elaborate productions given by amateur and professional actors.
2. a dramatic composition for such entertainment.
3. a masquerade; masked ball; revel.
4. mask (def. 14).
Also, mask.

Origin:
1505–15; < MF; see mask

mask

  [mask, mahsk]
–noun
1. a covering for all or part of the face, worn to conceal one's identity.
2. a grotesque or humorous false face worn at a carnival, masquerade, etc.: Halloween masks.
3. Also called swim mask. a device consisting typically of a transparent glass or plastic panel fitted into a flexible rubber gasket that fits snugly around the eyes, over the cheeks, and usually over the nose: used by skin divers.
4. anything that disguises or conceals; disguise; pretense: His politeness is a mask for his fundamentally malicious personality.
5. a likeness of a face, as one molded on the face in plaster. Compare death mask, life mask.
6. a covering of wire, gauze, etc., to protect the face, as from splinters, dust, or a pitched ball.
7. gas mask.
8. any protective covering for the face or head.
9. any protective covering, as paper, cardboard, plastic, or the like, used for masking an area of something, as of a photograph or window.
10. the dark shading on the muzzle of certain dogs.
11. a representation of a face or head, generally grotesque, used as an architectural ornament or as a decorative device in weaponry, furniture, etc.
12. a person wearing a mask; masker.
13. masque (defs. 1–3).
14. Also, masque. a cosmetic cream, gel, paste, or the like, that is applied to the face and allowed to remain for a short time before being removed and is used for tightening, cleansing, refreshing, or lubricating the skin.
15. a piece of cloth, silk, or plastic material covering the face of an actor to symbolize the character being represented: used in Greek and Roman drama and in some modern plays.
16. the face or head, as of a fox.
17. Electronics. a type of stencil applied to the surface of a semiconductor to permit selective etching or deposition: used in the manufacture of integrated circuits by photolithography.
18. Fortification. a screen, as of earth or brush, for concealing or protecting a battery or any military operation.
19. Also called braker. Shipbuilding. a sliding timber construction braced against the stern of a hull being launched to keep it from entering the water too rapidly.
–verb (used with object)
20. to disguise or conceal; hide; dissemble: to mask one's intentions.
21. to cover or conceal with a mask.
22. to cover or shield a part of (a design, picture, etc.) in order to prevent reproduction or to protect the surface from the colors used, as in working with an air brush or in painting.
23. Fortification. to conceal (a battery or any military operation) from the enemy.
24. to hinder, as an army, from conducting an operation.
–verb (used without object)
25. to put on a mask; disguise oneself.
Origin:
1525–35; < MF masque, perh. directly < It maschera mask, disguise < pre-L *maskara, an extended form of *mask-, prob. with orig. sense “black” (blackening the face being a simple form of disguise); another development of the same base is early ML masca witch, ghost (also, mask); see mascot

Related forms:
masklike, adjective

Synonyms:
20. veil, screen, cloak, cover.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To masque
masque also mask   (māsk)   
n.  

  1. A dramatic entertainment, usually performed by masked players representing mythological or allegorical figures, that was popular in England in the 16th and early 17th centuries.

  2. A dramatic verse composition written for such an entertainment.

  3. See masquerade.


[French; see mask.]
mas·quer·ade   (mās'kə-rād')   
n.  

    1. A costume party at which masks are worn; a masked ball. Also called masque.

    2. A costume for such a party or ball.

    3. A disguise or false outward show; a pretense: a masquerade of humility.

    4. An involved scheme; a charade.

    1. A disguise or false outward show; a pretense: a masquerade of humility.

    2. An involved scheme; a charade.

intr.v.   mas·quer·ad·ed, mas·quer·ad·ing, mas·quer·ades

  1. To wear a mask or disguise, as at a masquerade: She masqueraded as a shepherd.

  2. To go about as if in disguise; have or put on a deceptive appearance: The stowaway masqueraded as a crew member.


[French mascarade, from Italian mascarata, variant of mascherata, from Old Italian maschera, mask; see mask.]
mas'quer·ad'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

mask  (n.)
1534, from M.Fr. masque "covering to hide or guard the face," from It. maschera, from M.L. masca "mask, specter, nightmare," of uncertain origin, perhaps from Ar. maskhara "buffoon," from sakhira "to ridicule." Or via Prov. mascarar, Catalan mascarar, O.Fr. mascurer "to black (the face)," perhaps from a Gmc. source akin to Eng. mesh (q.v.). But cf. Occitan mascara "to blacken, darken," derived from mask- "black," which is held to be from a pre-I.E. language, and Old Occitan masco "witch," surviving in dialects; in Beziers it means "dark cloud before the rain comes." [See Walther von Wartburg, "Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch: Eine Darstellung galloromanischen sprachschatzes"] The verb meaning "to wear a mask" is from 1588; in the extended sense of "disguise," is attested from 1847. Masking tape first recorded 1936; so called because it is used to block out certain surfaces before painting.

masque 
"masquerade, masked ball," 1514, from M.Fr. masque (see mask). Originally the same word, it developed a special sense of "amateur theatrical performance" (1562) in Elizabethan times, when such entertainments (originally performed in masks) were popular among the nobility.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2mask
Function: transitive verb
1 : to prevent (an atom or group of atoms) from showing its ordinary reactions mask hydroxylin a sugar by converting it into methoxyl>
2 : to modify or reduce the effect or activity of (as a process or a reaction)
3 : FLAVOR <mask a pharmaceutical preparation>
4 : to raise the audibility threshold of (a sound) bythe simultaneous presentation of another sound
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

mask (māsk)
n.

  1. A covering for the nose and mouth that is used for inhaling oxygen or an anesthetic.

  2. A covering worn over the nose and mouth, as by a surgeon or dentist, to prevent infection.

  3. A facial bandage.

  4. Something, often a trait, that disguises or conceals.

  5. Any of a various of conditions producing alteration or discoloration of the skin of the face.

  6. An expressionless appearance of the face seen in certain diseases, such as Parkinsonism.

v. masked, mask·ing, masks

  1. To cover with a protective mask.

  2. To cover in order to conceal, protect, or disguise.

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