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Mass

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mass¹

  • /mæs/ Australia, UK, US
  • /mas/ British, Northern England, Scotland, Southern, Standard, Wales
  • /mɛs/ New Zealand
  • /mɑːs/ Hong Kong

Rhymes with -æs, -ɑːs

Where it comes from

In late Middle English (circa 1400) as masse in the sense of "lump, quantity of matter", from Anglo-Norman masse, in Old French attested from the 11th century, via late Latin massa (“lump, dough”), from Ancient Greek μᾶζα (mâza, “barley-cake, lump (of dough)”). The Greek noun may be derived from the verb μάσσω (mássō, “to knead”), ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European *maǵ- (“to oil, knead”), although this is uncertain. Doublet of masa.

The sense of "a large number or quantity" arises circa 1580. The scientific sense is from 1687 (as Latin massa) in the works of Isaac Newton, with the first English use (as mass) occurring in 1704.

noun masses

  1. countable, physical, uncountable A quantity of matter cohering so as to make one body, or an aggregation of particles or things which collectively make one body or quantity, usually of considerable size. And if it were not for theſe Principles the Bodies of the Earth, Planets, Comets, Sun, and all things in them would grow cold and freeze, and become inactive Maſſes ; […].
  2. countable, obsolete, physical, uncountable Precious metal, especially gold or silver. Right in the midst the Goddesse selfe did stand / Upon an altar of some costly masse […].
  3. countable, physical, uncountable A measure of the inertia of a mass of matter, one of four fundamental properties of matter. SI unit of mass: kilogram.
  4. countable, physical, uncountable A medicinal substance made into a cohesive, homogeneous lump, of consistency suitable for making pills. blue mass
  5. countable, physical, uncountable A palpable or visible abnormal globular structure. Near-synonym: lump
  6. countable, physical, uncountable Excess body mass, especially in the form of muscle hypertrophy. After all, muscle maniacs go "ga ga" over mass no matter how it's presented.
  7. countable, uncountable A large quantity; a sum. […]he hath discovered to me the way to five or six of the richest mines which the Spaniard hath, and whence all the mass of gold that comes into Spain in effect is drawn.
  8. countable, uncountable Bulk; magnitude; body; size. Witness this army of such mass and charge / Led by a delicate and tender prince,
  9. countable, uncountable The principal part; the main body. Night closed upon the pursuit, and aided the mass of the fugitives in their escape.
  10. countable, uncountable A large body of individuals, especially persons. The mass of spectators didn't see the infraction on the field.
  11. countable, in plural, uncountable The lower classes of persons. The masses are revolting.

verb masses · massing · massed

  1. ergative To form or collect into a mass; to form into a collective body; to assemble. They would unavoidably mix up the whole of these declarations, and mass them together, although the Judge might direct the Jury not to do so.

adjective masser · massest

  1. not comparable, usually Involving a mass of things; concerning a large quantity or number. There is evidence of mass extinctions in the distant past.
  2. not comparable, usually Involving a mass of people; of, for, or by the masses. Mass unemployment resulted from the financial collapse.

mass²

  • /mæs/ US
  • /mæs/ Singapore, UK
  • /mɑːs/ Singapore, UK

Rhymes with -æs, -ɑːs

Where it comes from

From Middle English messe, masse, from Old English mæsse (“the mass, church festival”) and Old French messe, from Vulgar Latin *messa (“Eucharist, dismissal”), from Late Latin missa, noun use of feminine past participle of classical Latin mittere (“to send”), from ite, missa est (“go, (the assembly) is dismissed”), reanalyzed as "go, [that] is the missa", last words of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.

Compare Dutch mis (“mass”), German Messe (“mass”), Danish messe (“mass”), Swedish mässa (“mass; expo”), Icelandic messa (“mass”). More at mission.

noun masses

  1. The Eucharist, now especially in Roman Catholicism.
  2. Celebration of the Eucharist.
  3. broadly The main kind of church service, in some denominations. She went to mass every Sunday for many years, and when she retired, she took to going on some weekdays, too.
  4. usually The sacrament of the Eucharist.
  5. A musical setting of parts of the mass.

verb masses · massing · massed

  1. intransitive, obsolete To celebrate mass. massing priests

Mass³

  • /ˈmæs/

Sounds like mass · Rhymes with -æs

Where it comes from

From Middle English messe, from Old English mæsse and Old French messe, both from Late Latin missa, from Latin mittō (“to send, dismiss”), compare French messe.

In the ancient churches, the public services at which the catechumens were permitted to be present were called missa catechumenorum, ending with the reading of the Gospel. Then they were dismissed with the words: "Ite, missa est", the congregation is dismissed. After that the sacrifice proper began. At its close the same words were said to those who remained. So the word gave the name of Mass to the sacrifice in the Catholic Church. Compare Christmas, Lammas, missal. Doublet of missa.

noun Masses

  1. countable, uncountable The principal liturgical service of the Church, encompassing both a scripture service (Liturgy of the Word) and a eucharistic service (Liturgy of the Eucharist), which includes the consecration and oblation (offering) of the host and wine.
  2. countable, uncountable A similar ceremony offered by a number of Christian churches.
  3. countable, uncountable A musical composition set to portions, or all, of the Mass.

Mass⁴

  • /ˈmæs/

Sounds like mass · Rhymes with -æs

Where it comes from

Short forms.

proper noun

  1. abbreviation Abbreviation of Massachusetts.Massachusetts the Mass Pike
  2. alternative Alternative form of Mas.Mas

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