See Also: mask(1)(dictionary)
mask(3)(dictionary)
mask(4)(dictionary)
mask(encyclopedia)
mask(medicine)
mask(2)(dictionary)
gas mask(dictionary)
death mask(dictionary)
mask 1, noun(dictionary)
mask 2, verb(dictionary)

mask(2) (iou)



mask noun2. [m¨»:sk] Also masque. See also MASQUE noun. E16.
[French masque from Italian maschera, perh. from Arab. masara buffoon, from saira ridicule.]
I.
See MASQUE noun. E16.
II.
a. A covering, usu. of velvet or silk, with holes for seeing, concealing the face or the upper part of it, worn for disguise at balls etc. M16.
in mask disguised behind a mask. iron mask: see IRON noun & adjective. loo mask: see LOO noun2. vizard-mask: see VIZARD 1, 2.
Defoe I had no Mask but I ruffled my Hoods..about my face.
b. A covering worn on the face for protection; esp. a screen of wire, gauze, etc., to protect the face from injury, e.g. in fencing; a face-covering worn by a surgeon, dentist, etc., to prevent infection. L16.
gas mask: see GAS noun1.
P. Parish Doctors..nurses and anyone who handles the drug frequently should wear masks and rubber gloves.
c. Classical Antiquities. A hollow figure of a human head worn by actors, to identify the character represented and to amplify the voice. E18.
d. A likeness of a person's face in clay, wax, etc.; esp. one made by taking a mould from the face itself. L18.
DEATH-mask.
e. A grotesque or comical representation of a face worn at carnivals, parties, etc., to frighten or amuse. M19.
fig.
a. A disguise, a pretence; a pretended appearance or expression. L16.
Goldsmith A base, ungenerous wretch who under the mask of friendship has undone me. J. Buchan He hadn't a face, only a hundred masks that he could assume when he pleased.
b. A thing which covers something or hides something from view. M18.
Keats The new soft-fallen mask Of snow upon the mountains.
A masked person; a person in masquerading dress. arch. L16.
a. Architecture. A representation in stone of a face, often grotesque in nature, used in panels, keystones, etc. M18.
b. Entomology. The enlarged labium of a dragonfly larva, which can be extended to seize prey. L18.
c. The face or head of an animal; esp. that of a fox (displayed as a hunting trophy). E19.
d. Fortification. A screen to protect men engaged in constructing a work, to conceal a battery, etc. E19.
e. Photography. A screen used to cover any part of an image which it is desired to exclude. L19.
f. A cosmetic preparation spread on the face, a face-pack. M20.
g. Electronics. In the manufacture of microcircuits, a thin surface layer that is removed in parts allowing selective modification of the underlying material. M20.
Comb.: mask jug a jug with a lip or front shaped like a face.