a covering for all or part of the face, worn to conceal one's identity.
a grotesque or humorous false face worn at a carnival, masquerade, etc.: Halloween masks.
Also called swim mask.a device consisting typically of a transparent glass or plastic panel fitted into a flexible rubber gasket that fits snugly around the eyes, over the cheeks, and usually over the nose: used by skin divers.
anything that disguises or conceals; disguise; pretense: His politeness is a mask for his fundamentally malicious personality.
a likeness of a face, as one molded on the face in plaster.Compare death mask, life mask.
a covering of wire, gauze, etc., to protect the face, as from splinters, dust, or a pitched ball.
gas mask.
any protective covering for the face or head.
any protective covering, as paper, cardboard, plastic, or the like, used for masking an area of something, as of a photograph or window.
the dark shading on the muzzle of certain dogs.
a representation of a face or head, generally grotesque, used as an architectural ornament or as a decorative device in weaponry, furniture, etc.
a person wearing a mask; masker.
masque (defs. 1-3).
Also masque. a cosmetic cream, gel, paste, or the like, that is applied to the face and allowed to remain for a short time before being removed and is used for tightening, cleansing, refreshing, or lubricating the skin.
a piece of cloth, silk, or plastic material covering the face of an actor to symbolize the character being represented: used in Greek and Roman drama and in some modern plays.
the face or head, as of a fox.
Electronics. a type of stencil applied to the surface of a semiconductor to permit selective etching or deposition: used in the manufacture of integrated circuits by photolithography.
Fortification. a screen, as of earth or brush, for concealing or protecting a battery or any military operation.
Also called braker. Shipbuilding. a sliding timber construction braced against the stern of a hull being launched to keep it from entering the water too rapidly.
verb (used with object)
to disguise or conceal; hide; dissemble: to mask one's intentions.
to cover or conceal with a mask.
to cover or shield a part of (a design, picture, etc.) in order to prevent reproduction or to protect the surface from the colors used, as in working with an air brush or in painting.
Fortification. to conceal (a battery or any military operation) from the enemy.
to hinder, as an army, from conducting an operation.
verb (used without object)
to put on a mask; disguise oneself.
Origin of mask
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French masque, perhaps directly from Italian maschera “mask, disguise,” from unattested pre-Latin maskara, an extended form of unattested mask-, probably with the original sense “black” (blackening the face being a simple form of disguise); another development of the same base is early Medieval Latin masca “witch, ghost” (also, “mask”); see mascot
Danielle Schumann, a Target corporate spokeswoman, said Target requires shoppers to wear masks inside stores.
Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider does not approve of anti-maskers using ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’|radmarya|September 17, 2020|Fortune
Biden is leading by example — which is the reason he wears a mask.
In 160 words, Trump reveals how little he cares about the pandemic|Philip Bump|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
Take, for example, wearing face masks — something many Americans are still not doing.
Why Coming Up With Effective Interventions To Address COVID-19 Is So Hard|Neil Lewis Jr. (nlewisjr@cornell.edu)|September 14, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Still, only 34 states and the District of Columbia have universal mask mandates, and many of those mandates didn’t begin until the summer months.
Trump downplayed the threat from COVID-19. Here’s how we could’ve fought back harder.|Kate Baggaley|September 11, 2020|Popular Science
Before designing its own masks, Apple provided employees with standard cloth masks.
Apple has developed special face masks for employees|Verne Kopytoff|September 9, 2020|Fortune
Mailer would argue, for example, that timidity does more harm to the novelist than donning a mask of extreme self-confidence.
Mailer’s Letters Pack a Punch and a Surprising Degree of Sweetness|Ronald K. Fried|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In fact, what this map really showed was the fallacy of aggregates – and how statistics can mask real cultural shifts.
Beer Countries vs. Wine Countries|Clive Irving|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Onion routers refers to the TOR network, a system that allows users to mask their location and communicate anonymously online.
ISIS Keeps Getting Better at Dodging U.S. Spies|Shane Harris, Noah Shachtman|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One gets the sense that they are wearing a mask to confuse their readers, and even to evade them.
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun|Katie Baker|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His unprocessed singing is so good, it makes one wonder why he bothers using a tool designed to mask poor vocal work.
Harry Potter Raps, The Catcalls Heard ‘Round the World and More Viral Videos|Alex Chancey|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"There's a fox's mask," said the Colonel at the bottom of the table, pointing a triangular bit out.
The Magnetic North|Elizabeth Robins (C. E. Raimond)
He had gained a little time by seeming to fall in with Clancy's desires, but now the mask was dropped.
Owen Clancy's Happy Trail|Burt L. Standish
The host, with a sudden gesture, tore off his mask and the Burglar accelerated his pace.
The Chase of the Golden Plate|Jacques Futrelle
The Mikado tilted his cigar up to a level with the slant eyes of his mask, and laughed.
The Chase of the Golden Plate|Jacques Futrelle
He shrugged and turned away, and Poppy, looking round for the others, caught Clem Portal's face with the mask off for one moment.
Poppy|Cynthia Stockley
British Dictionary definitions for mask
mask
/ (mɑːsk) /
noun
any covering for the whole or a part of the face worn for amusement, protection, disguise, etc
a fact, action, etc, that conceals somethinghis talk was a mask for his ignorance
another name for masquerade
a likeness of a face or head, either sculpted or moulded, such as a death mask
an image of a face worn by an actor, esp in ancient Greek and Roman drama, in order to symbolize the character being portrayed
a variant spelling of masque
surgerya sterile gauze covering for the nose and mouth worn esp during operations to minimize the spread of germs
sporta protective covering for the face worn for fencing, ice hockey, etc
a carving in the form of a face or head, used as an ornament
a natural land feature or artificial object which conceals troops, etc, from view
a device placed over the nose and mouth to facilitate or prevent inhalation of a gas
photoga shield of paper, paint, etc, placed over an area of unexposed photographic surface to stop light falling on it
electronicsa thin sheet of material from which a pattern has been cut, placed over a semiconductor chip so that an integrated circuit can be formed on the exposed areas
computinga bit pattern which, by convolution with a second pattern in a logical operation, can be used to isolate a specific subset of the second pattern for examination
entomola large prehensile mouthpart (labium) of the dragonfly larva
the face or head of an animal, such as a fox, or the dark coloration of the face of some animals, such as Siamese cats and certain dogs
another word for face pack
rarea person wearing a mask
verb
to cover with or put on a mask
(tr)to conceal; disguiseto mask an odour
(tr)photogto shield a particular area of (an unexposed photographic surface) in order to prevent or reduce the action of light there
(tr)to shield a particular area of (a surface to be painted) with masking tape
(tr)to cover (cooked food, esp meat) with a savoury sauce or glaze
a Scottish variant of mash (def. 8)
Derived forms of mask
masklike, adjective
Word Origin for mask
C16: from Italian maschera, ultimately from Arabic maskharah clown, from sakhira mockery
maskneLet's be clear, you still have to wear your mask.
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5 More Pandemic Words & Phrases People Want To Stop HearingAfter receiving over 300 submissions following our original post, we have a few additions to talk about. Here are the five most suggested pandemic words and phrases Thesaurus.com fans told us they never, ever want to hear again.