- Mask
- Mask Mask (m[.a]sk), n. [F. masque, LL. masca, mascha, mascus;
cf. Sp. & Pg. m['a]scara, It. maschera; all fr. Ar. maskharat
buffoon, fool, pleasantry, anything ridiculous or mirthful,
fr. sakhira to ridicule, to laugh at. Cf. {Masque},
{Masquerade}.]
1. A cover, or partial cover, for the face, used for disguise
or protection; as, a dancer's mask; a fencer's mask; a
ball player's mask.
[1913 Webster]
2. That which disguises; a pretext or subterfuge. [1913 Webster]
3. A festive entertainment of dancing or other diversions, where all wear masks; a masquerade; hence, a revel; a frolic; a delusive show. --Bacon. [1913 Webster]
This thought might lead me through the world's vain mask. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
4. A dramatic performance, formerly in vogue, in which the actors wore masks and represented mythical or allegorical characters. [1913 Webster]
5. (Arch.) A grotesque head or face, used to adorn keystones and other prominent parts, to spout water in fountains, and the like; -- called also {mascaron}. [1913 Webster]
6. (Fort.) (a) In a permanent fortification, a redoubt which protects the caponiere. (b) A screen for a battery. [1913 Webster]
7. (Zo["o]l.) The lower lip of the larva of a dragon fly, modified so as to form a prehensile organ. [1913 Webster]
8. A person wearing a mask; a masker.
The mask that has the arm of the Indian queen. --G. W. Cable. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
9. (Sporting) The head or face of a fox.
{Mask house}, a house for masquerades. [Obs.]
{Death mask}, a cast of the face of a dead person. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
