— massedly /mas"id lee, mast"lee/ , adv.
/mas/ , n.
1. a body of coherent matter, usually of indefinite shape and often of considerable size: a mass of dough.
2. a collection of incoherent particles, parts, or objects regarded as forming one body: a mass of sand.
3. aggregate; whole (usually prec. by in the ): People, in the mass, mean well.
4. a considerable assemblage, number, or quantity: a mass of errors; a mass of troops.
5. bulk, size, expanse, or massiveness: towers of great mass and strength.
6. Fine Arts.
a. Painting. an expanse of color or tone that defines form or shape in general outline rather than in detail.
b. a shape or three-dimensional volume that has or gives the illusion of having weight, density, and bulk.
7. the main body, bulk, or greater part of anything: the great mass of American films.
8. Physics. the quantity of matter as determined from its weight or from Newton's second law of motion. Abbr.: m Cf. weight (def. 2), relativistic mass, rest mass .
9. Pharm. a preparation of thick, pasty consistency, from which pills are made.
10. the masses , the ordinary or common people as a whole; the working classes or the lower social classes.
adj.
11. pertaining to, involving, or affecting a large number of people: mass unemployment; mass migrations; mass murder.
12. participated in or performed by a large number of people, esp. together in a group: mass demonstrations; mass suicide.
13. pertaining to, involving, or characteristic of the mass of the people: the mass mind; a movie designed to appeal to a mass audience.
14. reaching or designed to reach a large number of people: television, newspapers, and other means of mass communication.
15. done on a large scale or in large quantities: mass destruction.
v.i.
16. to come together in or form a mass or masses: The clouds are massing in the west.
v.t.
17. to gather into or dispose in a mass or masses; assemble: The houses are massed in blocks.
[ 1350-1400; ME masse massa mass mâza barley cake, akin to mássein to knead ]
Syn. 2. assemblage, heap, congeries. 4. collection, accumulation, pile, conglomeration. 5. magnitude, dimension. See size 1 . 7. majority. 10. proletariat, plebeians. 17. collect, marshal, amass, aggregate.
Ant. 17. disperse.