I. ˈmask, ˈmȧsk
dialect Britain
variant of mash I, mash II
II. ˈmask, -aa(ə)-, -ai-, -ȧ- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French masque, from Old Italian maschera, probably from (assumed) Old Italian masca witch (whence Italian dialect masca ), from Medieval Latin masca, mascha witch, specter
1.
a.
(1) : a cover or partial cover for the face usually made of cloth with openings for the eyes and used especially for disguise at a ball or masquerade
(2) : a person wearing a mask : masker
b.
(1) : a figure of a head worn on the stage especially by ancient Greek and Roman actors to identify the character and project the voice
(2) : a grotesque false face worn at carnivals or similar merrymakings
(3) : a representation of a face worn in dances and rituals among primitive peoples especially for identification with supernatural powers or beings
the fox masks, the wolf masks; symbols of the greatest possible power — Marjory S. Douglas
c. : an often grotesque head or face, used as an adornment (as on a keystone, on a fountain, or on furniture)
d. : a sculptured face or face and neck or a copy of a face made by means of a mold (as in plaster or wax)
a death mask
2.
a.
(1) : a quality, trait, appearance, or posture that serves to conceal or disguise (as one's true or inner feelings or intentions) : pretense , cloak
friendship … is a mask — Joseph Chiari
an outward mask of unfeelingness — Anthony Quinton
a hideous mask which conceals man's immorality — Encyc. Americana
assumed a mask of sullen stupidity — C.S.Forester
(2) : a face suggestive of or resembling a mask in its immobility, expressionless character, or concealment of the inner personality or feelings
they watched our progress with passive masks — J.A.Michener
gray-blue eyes that belied the habitual fixity of his fine olive mask — F.J.Mather
his face was a mask that told nothing — W.S.Maugham
his swarthy features stiffened into a mask of foreboding — Walter O'Meara
(3) : the side of a man's personality that is presented to the world as distinguished from his inner self : a person's public manner or outward bearing : pose
what goes on behind that mask and behind the veil of conventional manners — P.E.More
had recovered his mask , and was now polite, collected, watchful — W.H.Hudson †1922
finds him a man of many masks — E.A.Bloom
according to the doctrine of the mask , a man's personality is the small portion of his inner self that he presents to the world's view — W.G.O'Donnell
b. : something that conceals from view ; specifically : a natural or artificial terrain feature which conceals a military force from view or protects it from fire
c. : a pharmaceutical masking agent
d.
(1) : a translucent or opaque screen or a border design to vignette or partly to cover the sensitive surface in taking a photograph or the negative in printing, or an opaque sheet with an aperture to insert in the optical path in a motion-picture mechanism so as to modify the size, shape, or appearance of the picture
(2) : an auxiliary image used to modify a photographic image (as for the purpose of improving color reproduction)
e. : a translucent or opaque border surrounding a television tube receiver screen
3. : a protective covering especially for the face: as
a. : a gauze or wire screen worn over the face in outdoor games and in fencing : a similar protective covering used in glassworks, foundries and other industrial enterprises presenting special hazards to workers
b. : gas mask
c. : a device usually covering the mouth and nose to facilitate or prevent the inhalation of a substance (as a gas, vapor, or spray)
an oxygen mask
d. : a covering often of gauzelike material for the mouth and nose to prevent droplets from being dispersed into the air
e. : a cosmetic preparation especially for the skin of the face that is applied moist, and produces a cleansing and tightening effect as it dries
f. : frisket 1
4.
a. : the head or face of an animal (as a fox, dog, cat)
b. : the lower lip of the nymph of a dragonfly and damselfly modified so as to form a prehensile organ
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
1. : to take part in a masquerade : go about in a mask
went masking with a group of young friends — E.P.O'Donnell
2. obsolete
a. : to assume a mask
b. : to disguise one's true character or intentions
transitive verb
1.
a. : to conceal from view (as with a screen or obstacle)
trees and shrubs mask the sandstone house — American Guide Series: Michigan
b. : to make indistinct or imperceptible
successive sounds blur and mask each other — Architectural Record
masks undesirable flavors — Collier's Year Book
c. : to cover up (as a thing, fact, state, quality, or emotion) so as to mislead concerning its true nature
the lightness masked a terrible will — Edith Sitwell
2.
a. : to cover for concealment or protection
masked before shipment with tough paper — Plexiglass Design & Fabrication Data
b. : to furnish with a protective mask (as a gas mask)
c.
(1) : to conceal (as the position of a battery) from the enemy's sight
(2) : to keep in check or on the defensive (as troops or a fortress) with part of one's force while conducting hostile operations elsewhere
(3) : to prevent the delivery of fire on (a particular objective) by the interposition of a mask
d. cookery : to cover completely (as with thick sauce or mayonnaise)
e.
(1) : to modify the size or shape of (as a photograph or an image to be photographed, printed, or projected) by means of an opaque border
(2) : to modify densities of (a photographic image) selectively by means of an auxiliary image of the same subject for improving the accuracy of color reproduction
f.
(1) : to prevent (an atom or group of atoms) from showing its ordinary reactions : block 1g
to mask hydroxyl in a sugar by converting it into methoxyl
(2) : to modify or reduce the effect or activity of (as a process, a reaction)
g. : flavor
mask a pharmaceutical preparation
h. : to raise the audibility threshold of (a sound) by the simultaneous presentation of another sound
Synonyms: see disguise
IV. noun
: a pattern of opaque material used to shield selected parts of a photosensitive surface during deposition or etching (as in producing an integrated circuit)