MASK

I. noun Etymology: Middle French masque, from Old Italian maschera Date: 1534 1. a. a cover or partial cover for the face used for disguise, a person wearing a ~ ; ~er , b. a figure of a head worn on the stage in antiquity to identify the character and project the voice, a grotesque false face worn at carnivals or in rituals, an often grotesque carved head or face used as an ornament (as on a keystone), a sculptured face or a copy of a face made by means of a mold, 2. something that serves to conceal or disguise ; pretense , cloak , something that conceals from view, a translucent or opaque screen to cover part of the sensitive surface in taking or printing a photograph, a pattern of opaque material used to shield selected areas of a surface (as of a semiconductor) in deposition or etching (as in producing an integrated circuit), 3. a protective covering for the face, gas ~ , a device covering the mouth and nose to facilitate inhalation, a comparable device to prevent exhalation of infective material, a cosmetic preparation for the skin of the face that produces a tightening effect as it dries, 4. the head or face of an animal (as a fox or dog), an area (as the one around the eyes) of an animal's face that is distinguished by usually darker coloring, II. verb Date: circa 1562 intransitive verb to take part in a masquerade, 2. to assume a ~, to disguise one's true character or intentions, transitive verb to provide or conceal with a ~: as, to conceal from view , to make indistinct or imperceptible , to cover up , to cover for protection, to modify the size or shape of (as a photograph) by means of an opaque border, see: disguise ~like adjective