I. |maskə|rād, -aask-, -aisk- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French mascarade, masquerade social gathering of persons wearing masks, from Old Italian dialect mascarada, from Old Italian mascara, maschera mask + Old Italian dialect -ada -ade
1. : an action, appearance, bearing, or mode of life that is mere outward show concealing the true character or situation : a pretense of being something that one is not : camouflage , disguise
her maturity was a childish, clever masquerade — Philip O'Connor
traveling about in the masquerade of a bon vivant — Virginia Cowles
discovers under a new masquerade the ancient evil — V.L.Parrington
became aware of an element of masquerade in the appearance of this person — Elinor Wylie
2.
a. : a social gathering of persons wearing masks, often dressed in rich fantastic costumes especially to impersonate characters from history or legend, and amusing themselves with dancing, conversation, or other diversions
b. : a costume for wear at such a gathering
II. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1.
a. : to disguise oneself or go about disguised so as to appear to be something that one is not
wasn't the first time he'd masqueraded as a girl — Valentine Williams
looked like a young man masquerading in a white wig — R.H.Davis
b. : to take part in a masquerade
2. : to pass oneself off or assume the appearance of something that one is not : pose
nonentities have too often masqueraded as philosophers — Richard Mayne
wrong for editorial arguments to masquerade as news reports — F.L.Mott
exploitation masquerading as free enterprise — Herbert Agar