— masklike , adj.
/mask, mahsk/ , n.
1. a covering for all or part of the face, worn to conceal one's identity.
2. a grotesque or humorous false face worn at a carnival, masquerade, etc.: Halloween masks.
3. Also called swim mask . a device consisting typically of a transparent glass or plastic panel fitted into a flexible rubber gasket that fits snugly around the eyes, over the cheeks, and usually over the nose: used by skin divers.
4. anything that disguises or conceals; disguise; pretense: His politeness is a mask for his fundamentally malicious personality.
5. a likeness of a face, as one molded on the face in plaster. Cf. death mask, life mask .
6. a covering of wire, gauze, etc., to protect the face, as from splinters, dust, or a pitched ball.
7. See gas mask .
8. any protective covering for the face or head.
9. any protective covering, as paper, cardboard, plastic, or the like, used for masking an area of something, as of a photograph or window.
10. the dark shading on the muzzle of certain dogs.
11. a representation of a face or head, generally grotesque, used as an architectural ornament or as a decorative device in weaponry, furniture, etc.
12. a person wearing a mask; masker.
13. masque (defs. 1-3).
14. Also, masque . a cosmetic cream, gel, paste, or the like, that is applied to the face and allowed to remain for a short time before being removed and is used for tightening, cleansing, refreshing, or lubricating the skin.
15. a piece of cloth, silk, or plastic material covering the face of an actor to symbolize the character being represented: used in Greek and Roman drama and in some modern plays.
16. the face or head, as of a fox.
17. Electronics. a type of stencil applied to the surface of a semiconductor to permit selective etching or deposition: used in the manufacture of integrated circuits by photolithography.
18. Fort. a screen, as of earth or brush, for concealing or protecting a battery or any military operation.
19. Also called braker . Shipbuilding. a sliding timber construction braced against the stern of a hull being launched to keep it from entering the water too rapidly.
v.t.
20. to disguise or conceal; hide; dissemble: to mask one's intentions.
21. to cover or conceal with a mask.
22. to cover or shield a part of (a design, picture, etc.) in order to prevent reproduction or to protect the surface from the colors used, as in working with an air brush or in painting.
23. Fort. to conceal (a battery or any military operation) from the enemy.
24. to hinder, as an army, from conducting an operation.
v.i.
25. to put on a mask; disguise oneself.
[ 1525-35; masque, perh. directly maschera mask, disguise
maskara, an extended form of * mask-, prob. with orig. sense "black" (blackening the face being a simple form of disguise); another development of the same base is early ML masca witch, ghost (also, mask); see MASCOT ]
Syn. 20. veil, screen, cloak, cover.