 |
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Mask \Mask\ (m[.a]sk), noun [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.
2. That which disguises; a pretext or subterfuge.
3. A festive entertainment of dancing or other diversions, where all wear masks; a masquerade; hence, a revel; a frolic; a delusive show. --Bacon.
This thought might lead me through the world's vain mask. --Milton.
4. A dramatic performance, formerly in vogue, in which the actors wore masks and represented mythical or allegorical characters.
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}.
6. (Fort.) (a) In a permanent fortification, a redoubt which protects the caponiere. (b) A screen for a battery.
7. (Zo["o]l.) The lower lip of the larva of a dragon fly, modified so as to form a prehensile organ.
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.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Mask \Mask\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Masked}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Masking}.]
1. To cover, as the face, by way of concealment or defense against injury; to conceal with a mask or visor.
They must all be masked and vizarded. --Shak.
2. To disguise; to cover; to hide.
Masking the business from the common eye. --Shak.
3. (Mil.) (a) To conceal; also, to intervene in the line of. (b) To cover or keep in check; as, to mask a body of troops or a fortress by a superior force, while some hostile evolution is being carried out.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Mask \Mask\, verb (used without an object)
1. To take part as a masker in a masquerade. --Cavendish.
2. To wear a mask; to be disguised in any way. --Shak.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
mask
noun
1: a covering to disguise or conceal the face
2: activity that tries to conceal something; "no mask could conceal his ignorance"; "they moved in under a mask of friendship"
3: a party of guests wearing costumes and masks [syn: {masquerade}, {masque}]
4: a protective covering worn over the face
verb
1: hide under a false appearance; "He masked his disappointment" [syn: {dissemble}, {cloak}]
2: put a mask on or cover with a mask; "Mask the children for Halloween" [ant: {unmask}]
3: cover with a sauce; "mask the meat"
4: shield from light [syn: {block out}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
280 Moby Thesaurus words for "mask": Kaffeeklatsch, aegis, affectation, air, alibi, anaglyph, apology, appearance, apply to, arm guard, aspect, backstop, bal, bal costume, bal masque, ball, barn dance, bas-relief, becloud, befog, belie, blanket, blind, block, blowout, blur, boss, buffer, bulwark, bumper, cameo, cameo glass, camouflage, canopy, cavo-rilievo, cloak, clothe, cloud, coat, cocktail party, coffee klatch, color, coloring, conceal, concealment, contraceptive, cope, copyright, costume party, country dance, cover, cover story, cover up, cover-up, coverage, covering, covert, coverture, cowl, cowling, crash helmet, curtain, cushion, cut glass, dance, dashboard, defend, device, dinner, dinner party, disguise, dissemble, dissembling, dissimulate, dissimulation, distort, distract attention from, dodger, domino, donation party, drape, drapery, dress up, eclipse, embellish, embossment, embroider, ensconce, enshroud, entertainment, envelop, excuse, facade, face, face mask, fakery, false colors, false face, false front, falsify, fancy-dress ball, feint, fender, festivity, film, finger guard, foot guard, front, fudge, fuse, garble, garden party, gild, gloss, gloss over, glyph, glyptograph, goggles, governor, guard, guardrail, guise, hand guard, handle, handrail, hanging, hard hat, helmet, hen party, hide, high relief, hood, hop, house party, house-raising, housewarming, housing, incognito, insulation, intaglio, intaglio rilevato, intaglio rilievo, interlock, keep under cover, knee guard, knuckle guard, lame excuse, laminated glass, lawn party, lay on, lay over, life preserver, lifeline, lightning conductor, lightning rod, locus standi, low relief, mantle, masked ball, masque, masquerade, masquerade ball, masquerade party, medal, medallion, miscite, miscolor, misquote, misreport, misrepresent, misstate, mixer, mudguard, muffle, muffler, mummery, nose guard, obduce, obfuscate, obscure, occult, ostensible motive, overlay, overspread, overstate, pad, padding, pall, palladium, party, patent, pervert, pilot, plaquette, poor excuse, pose, posture, pretense, pretension, pretext, preventive, prom, promenade, prophylactic, protect, protective clothing, protective coloration, protective umbrella, protestation, public motive, put on, put-off, put-on, record hop, refuge, relief, relievo, safeguard, safety, safety glass, safety plug, safety rail, safety shoes, safety switch, safety valve, screen, sculptured glass, scum, seat belt, secrete, seeming, semblance, shade, sham, shelter, shield, shin guard, shindig, shindy, show, shower, shroud, simulation, slant, slur over, smoke screen, smoker, spread over, square dance, stag, stag dance, stag party, stalking-horse, strain, stratagem, subterfuge, sun helmet, superimpose, superpose, surprise party, tea dance, the dansant, titivate, trick, trick out, twist, umbrella, understate, varnish, veil, veneer, vestment, visor, vizard, vizard mask, warp, whitewash, window dressing, windscreen, windshield
 |
Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |