Mask - Dictionary Definition and Overview

Mask :  (noun)
1: a covering to disguise or conceal the face
2: activity that tries to conceal something; "no mask could conceal his ignorance"; "they moved in under a mask of friendship"
3: a party of guests wearing costumes and masks [syn: masquerade, masque]
4: a protective covering worn over the face (verb)
1: hide under a false appearance; "He masked his disappointment" [syn: dissemble, cloak]
2: put a mask on or cover with a mask; "Mask the children for Halloween" [ant: unmask]
3: cover with a sauce; "mask the meat"
4: shield from light [syn: block out]

Based on WordNet 2.0

Mask : \Mask\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Masked; p. pr. & vb. n. Masking.] 1. To cover, as the face, by way of concealment or defense against injury; to conceal with a mask or visor.

They must all be masked and vizarded. --Shak.

2. To disguise; to cover; to hide.

Masking the business from the common eye. --Shak.

3. (Mil.) (a) To conceal; also, to intervene in the line of. (b) To cover or keep in check; as, to mask a body of troops or a fortess by a superior force, while some hostile evolution is being carried out.

Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

Mask : \Mask\, n. [F. masque, LL. masca, mascha, mascus; cf. Sp. & Pg. m['a]scara, It. maschera; all fr. Ar. maskharat buffoon, fool, pleasantry, anything ridiculous or mirthful, fr. sakhira to ridicule, to laugh at. Cf. Masque, Masquerade.] 1. A cover, or partial cover, for the face, used for disguise or protection; as, a dancer's mask; a fencer's mask; a ball player's mask.

2. That which disguises; a pretext or subterfuge.

3. A festive entertainment of dancing or other diversions, where all wear masks; a masquerade; hence, a revel; a frolic; a delusive show. --Bacon.

This thought might lead me through the world's vain mask. --Milton.

4. A dramatic performance, formerly in vogue, in which the actors wore masks and represented mythical or allegorical characters.

5. (Arch.) A grotesque head or face, used to adorn keystones and other prominent parts, to spout water in fountains, and the like; -- called also mascaron.

6. (Fort.) (a) In a permanent fortification, a redoubt which protects the caponiere. (b) A screen for a battery.

7. (Zo["o]l.) The lower lip of the larva of a dragon fly, modified so as to form a prehensile organ.

Mask house, a house for masquerades. [Obs.]

Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

Mask : \Mask\, v. i. 1. To take part as a masker in a masquerade. --Cavendish.

2. To wear a mask; to be disguised in any way. --Shak.

Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

Mask : \Mask\, n. 1. A person wearing a mask; a masker.

The mask that has the arm of the Indian queen. --G. W. Cable.

2. (Sporting) The head or face of a fox.

Death mask, a cast of the face of a dead person.

Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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