/ meɪs; NAmE / noun
1.
[ C ] a decorative stick, carried as a sign of authority by an official such as a mayor
—compare sceptre
2.
[ C ] a large heavy stick that has a head with metal points on it, used in the past as a weapon
3.
[ U ] the dried outer covering of nutmegs (= the hard nuts of a tropical tree), used in cooking as a spice
••
WORD ORIGIN
senses 1 to 2 Middle English : from Old French masse large hammer.
sense 3 Middle English macis (taken as plural), via Old French from Latin macir .