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(4) (iou)



mask verb2. [m¨»:sk] Also masque. M16.
[from MASK noun2.]
I. verb intrans.
Take part in a masque or masquerade. M16-M18.
Be or go in disguise; hide one's real nature under an outward show. L16-M17.
II. verb trans.
Cover or provide with a facial mask. Freq. in pass., wear or be disguised with a mask. L16.
Shakespeare Rape of Lucrece I have no one to blush with me..To mask their brows and hide their infamy.
b. gen. Disguise. rare. M19.
Tennyson A rout of saucy boys Brake on us..Mask'd like our maids.
Conceal from view by interposing something, cover. L16.
masking tape adhesive tape used in painting to cover areas on which paint is not wanted.
A. West His eyebrows almost masked his eyes. A. Carter No paint nor powder..can mask that red mark on my forehead.
b. Military. Conceal (a battery etc.) from the view of the enemy; hinder (a force etc.) from action by watching with sufficient strength; hinder (a friendly force) by standing in its line of fire. E18.
c. Photography etc. Cover, shade, or mount with a mask. L19.
R. K. Narayan Don't worry that you may also be in the pictureI'll mask you.
d. Of a sound or other object of perception: diminish or prevent the perception of (another stimulus). E20.
Encyclopedia Britannica The substantially greater intensity of one odour may mask another.
e. Chemistry. Prevent (a compound etc.) from taking part in a certain reaction by causing it to undergo another preliminary reaction. M20.
fig. Disguise (feelings etc.) under an assumed outward show; conceal (intentionally or otherwise) the real nature, intent, or meaning of. L16.
R. B. Sheridan He has been obliged to mask his pretensions. R. Bush A world-renowned writer whose celebrity masked a ruined marriage and a barren pen. Independent The figures mask an erratic progress. R. Christiansen Her depression set in..masked from friends and acquaintances, but painfully communicated to Shelley.
masked adjective (a) having, wearing, or provided with a mask; (b) concealed or disguised with a mask or by a masking process; (c) Zoology having facial markings or features suggesting a mask (
masked owl, any of several Australasian and Indonesian barn owls of the genus Tyto); (d)
masked ball, a ball at which masks are worn: L16.