<B>mask, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a covering to hide or protect the face. <BR> <I>Ex. The burglar wore a mask. Fencers and baseball catchers wear masks.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a false face worn for amusement, as at Halloween, a masquerade, or carnival. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) something that hides or disguises; disguise. <BR> <I>Ex. The fox hid his plans under a mask of friendship.</I> (SYN) pretense, cloak. <DD><B> 4. </B>a person wearing a mask. <BR> <I>Ex. A mask, in the character of an old woman, joined them (Henry Fielding).</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>a clay, wax, or plaster likeness of a person's face. <DD><B> 6. </B>the hollow figure of a human head worn by Greek and Roman actors to identify the character represented and increase the volume of the voice. <DD><B> 7. </B><B>=masque.</B> <DD><B> 8. </B>a carved or molded face or head, usually grotesque, used as an architectural ornament. <DD><B> 9. </B>a piece of fine gauze worn over the mouth and nose of surgeons, nurses, and the like, during operations. <DD><B> 10. </B>any similar covering, such as one used to aid in breathing. <DD><B> 11. </B>a cosmetic preparation for the face. <DD><B> 12. </B>(Military.) a screen of earth, brush, or camouflage, used to hide or protect a battery or any military operation. <DD><B> 13. </B>the pattern for the components of an integrated circuit. <BR> <I>Ex. If one is designing the mask for an integrated electronic circuit, the objects to be represented are the transistors, resistors, gates, wiring and other elementary components from which the circuit is to be built (Scientific American).</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to cover (the face) with a mask. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) to hide or disguise. <BR> <I>Ex. A smile masked his disappointment.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Military.) to hide (a battery or military operation) from the sight of the enemy. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to cover or conceal anything with a mask; put on or wear a mask. </DL>
<B>mask crab,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a crab that has markings on its carapace suggestive of a mask. </DL>
<A NAME="maskdiver">
<B>mask diver,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a person who engages in mask diving. </DL>
<A NAME="maskdiving">
<B>mask diving,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> skin diving in which the diver uses a face mask and, usually, a snorkel. </DL>
<A NAME="masked">
<B>masked, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>wearing or provided with a mask or masks. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) disguised; concealed. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Zoology.) <DD><B> a. </B>marked on the face or head as if wearing a mask. <DD><B> b. </B>having the wings, legs, etc., of the future image indicated in outline beneath the integument, as certain insect pupae. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Botany.) personate. </DL>
<A NAME="maskedball">
<B>masked ball,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a dance at which masks are worn. </DL>
<A NAME="maskedshrew">
<B>masked shrew,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a shrew usually found near marshes and streams in the northern United States and in Canada. </DL>
<A NAME="masker">
<B>masker, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who wears a mask, especially at a masked ball, masquerade, or masque. Also, <B>masquer.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="maskil">
<B>maskil, </B>noun, pl. <B>maskilim.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a modern Jewish intellectual, especially one devoted to the Hebrew language, literature, and culture. </DL>
<A NAME="masking">
<B>masking, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a thing that masks or conceals something from view. <BR> <I>Ex. [He] contended he had tripped on a piece of masking covering a worn rug (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="maskingtape">
<B>masking tape,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a gummed tape used to mask or protect surfaces not to be treated, painted, or sprayed while work is being done on adjacent areas. </DL>
<A NAME="maslin">
<B>maslin, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Dialect.) <DD><B> 1. </B>a mixture of grains, especially rye and wheat. <DD><B> 2. </B>bread made of it. <DD><B> 3. </B>a mixture or medley. </DL>
<A NAME="masochism">
<B>masochism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>abnormal sexual pleasure derived from being dominated or physically abused. <DD><B> 2. </B>any enjoyment derived from being dominated or made to suffer. </DL>
<A NAME="masochist">
<B>masochist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who derives pleasure from being dominated or physically abused; person who enjoys suffering. <BR> <I>Ex. Then ... come the masochists whose only longing is to suffer, in real or in symbolic form, humiliations and tortures at the hands of the loved object (Sigmund Freud).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="masochistic">
<B>masochistic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with masochists or masochism. <BR> <I>Ex. as masochistic as the wintertime spectacle of Polar Club dunkers (Newsweek).</I> adv. <B>masochistically.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="mason">
<B>mason, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a man whose work is building with stone, brick, or similar materials; stonemason or bricklayer. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to build of brick, stone, or similar materials; strengthen with masonry. <BR> <I>Ex. the masoned house (Robert Louis Stevenson).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="mason">
<B>Mason, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a member of the worldwide secret society of Freemasons; Freemason. </DL>
<A NAME="masonanddixonsline">
<B>Mason and Dixon's Line, =Mason-Dixon line.</B></DL>
<A NAME="masonbee">
<B>mason bee,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a solitary bee that builds its nest of mud. </DL>
<A NAME="masondixonline">
<B>Mason-Dixon line,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland, formerly separating the free states of the North from the slave states of the South. It was surveyed (1763 and 1767) by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. </DL>
<A NAME="masonic">
<B>masonic</B> or <B>Masonic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of Masons or Masonry; having to do with the society of Freemasons or Freemasonry. <BR> <I>Ex. In those expert hands the trowel seemed to assume the qualities of some lofty masonic symbol (Lytton Strachey).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>in the spirit of Freemasonry; giving sympathetic understanding. <BR> <I>Ex. In some voiceless, masonic way, most people in that saloon had become aware that something was in process of happening (Owen Wister).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="masonite">
<B>Masonite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Trademark.) a type of hard fiberboard given a smooth finish on one side, used for partitions, panels, and the like. </DL>
<A NAME="masonjar">
<B>Mason jar,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a glass jar with a metal cover that can be screwed on tightly, used in home canning. <BR> <I>Ex. The Mason jar is the most commonly used canning jar today (Helen Marley).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="masonry">
<B>masonry, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ries.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a wall, foundation, or part of a building built by a mason; stonework or brickwork. <BR> <I>Ex. Stone fell from the walls as the masonry of the old castle began to crumble over the years.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the trade or skill of a mason. <BR> <I>Ex. Masonry is a lost skill among farmers today.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>Often, <B>Masonry.</B> <DD><B> a. </B>the principles or doctrines of Freemasons; Freemasonry. <DD><B> b. </B>the members of this society. </DL>
<A NAME="masonwasp">
<B>mason wasp,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a solitary wasp that builds its nest of mud. </DL>
<A NAME="masora">
<B>Masora</B> or <B>Masorah, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the tradition, compiled by Jewish critics and scholars in the 900's and earlier, regarding the correct text of the Hebrew Bible. <DD><B> 2a. </B>the marginal notes to the Biblical text preserving this information. <DD><B> b. </B>a book containing these. Also, <B>Massora,</B> <B>Massorah.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="masorete">
<B>Masorete, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a Hebrew scholar who is skilled in the study of the Masora. <DD><B> 2. </B>one of the Jewish scholars who wrote the Masora. Also, <B>Massorete,</B> <B>Massorite.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="masoretic">
<B>Masoretic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with the Masora or the Masoretes. </DL>
<A NAME="masque">
<B>masque, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>an amateur dramatic entertainment in which fine costumes, scenery, music, and dancing are more important than the story. Masques were so named because the performers wore masks. They were much given in England in the 1500's and 1600's, at court and at the homes of nobles, often outdoors. <BR> <I>Ex. Masque is not opera: nor for that matter is it drama or ballet. It is something of them all (London Times).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a play written for such an entertainment. <BR> <I>Ex. Milton's "Comus" is a masque.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a masked ball; masquerade. Also, <B>mask.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="masquer">
<B>masquer, </B>noun. <B>=masker.</B></DL>
<A NAME="masquerade">
<B>masquerade, </B>verb, <B>-aded,</B> <B>-ading,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to disguise oneself; go about under false pretenses. <BR> <I>Ex. The king masqueraded as a beggar to find out if his people really liked him.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to take part in a masquerade. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a party or dance at which masks and fancy costumes are worn. <BR> <I>Ex. Gaily dressed revelers ... drumming carnival bands ... magnificent masquerade parties (Time).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the costume and mask worn at such a party or dance. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) false pretense; disguise. <BR> <I>Ex. And, after all, what is a lie? It is but the truth in masquerade (Bryon).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) the act or fact of going about or acting under false pretenses. noun <B>masquerader.</B> </DL>
