mass
- mass
-
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English mæsse, modification of Vulgar Latin *messa, literally, dismissal at the end of a religious service, from Late Latin missa, from Latin, feminine of missus, past participle of mittere to send
Date: before 12th century
1. capitalized the liturgy of the Eucharist especially in accordance with the traditional Latin rite
2. often capitalized a celebration of the Eucharist <
Sunday masses held at three different hours
>
3. a musical setting for the ordinary of the Mass
II. noun
Etymology: Middle English masse, from Anglo-French, from Latin massa, from Greek maza; akin to Greek massein to knead — more at mingle
Date: 15th century
1.
a. a quantity or aggregate of matter usually of considerable size
b.
(1) expanse, bulk
(2) massive quality or effect <impressed me with such mass and such vividness — F. M. Ford
>
(3) the principal part or main body <the great mass of the continent is buried under an ice cap — Walter Sullivan
>
(4) aggregate, whole <men in the mass
>
c. the property of a body that is a measure of its inertia and that is commonly taken as a measure of the amount of material it contains and causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
2. a large quantity, amount, or number <a great mass of material
>
3.
a. a large body of persons in a compact group ; a body of persons regarded as an aggregate
b. the great body of the people as contrasted with the elite — often used in plural <the underprivileged and disadvantaged masses — C. A. Buss
>
Synonyms: see bulk
III. verb
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
to form or collect into a mass
intransitive verb
to assemble in a mass <three thousand students had massed in the plaza — A. E. Neville
>
IV. adjective
Date: 1733
1.
a. of or relating to the mass of the people <mass market
> <mass education
>; also being one of or at one with the mass ; average, commonplace <mass man
>
b. participated in by or affecting a large number of individuals <mass destruction
> <mass demonstrations
>
c. having a large-scale character <mass plantings of tulips
>
2. viewed as a whole ; total <the mass effect of a design
>
New Collegiate Dictionary.
2001.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
mass — mass … Dictionnaire des rimes
Mass — Mass, n. [OE. masse, F. masse, L. massa; akin to Gr. ? a barley cake, fr. ? to knead. Cf. {Macerate}.] [1913 Webster] 1. A quantity of matter cohering together so as to make one body, or an aggregation of particles or things which collectively… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Mass — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Para otros usos de este término, véase Mass (desambiguación). Tiendas Mass Logo Eslogan El Supermercado del Ahorro Fundación 2001 Sede Lima, Perú … Wikipedia Español
Mass — Pontifical Mass † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Pontifical Mass Pontifical Mass is the solemn Mass celebrated by a bishop with the ceremonies prescribed in the Cæremoniale Episcoporum , I and II. The full ceremonial is carried out when the… … Catholic encyclopedia
mass — Ⅰ. mass UK US /mæs/ adjective [before noun] ► having an effect on or involving a large number of people: »There have been two decades of mass unemployment. mass audience/appeal »A smaller company could produce a breakthrough product with mass… … Financial and business terms
Mass — (m[.a]s), n. [OE. masse, messe, AS. m[ae]sse. LL. missa, from L. mittere, missum, to send, dismiss: cf. F. messe. In the ancient churches, the public services at which the catechumens were permitted to be present were called missa catechumenorum … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
mass — [mas] n. [ME masse < OFr < L massa, a lump, mass < Gr maza, barley cake < massein, to knead < IE base * menk , to knead > MINGLE] 1. a quantity of matter forming a body of indefinite shape and size, usually of relatively large… … English World dictionary
Mass — ist: ein Theaterstück von Leonard Bernstein, siehe Mass (Theater) eine Messkomposition von Steve Dobrogosz, siehe Mass (Dobrogosz) die in Bayern übliche Kurzbezeichnung mit kurzem a für einen Masskrug Mass ist der Familienname folgender Personen … Deutsch Wikipedia
mass — 1 n: an aggregation of usu. similar things (as assets in a succession) considered as a whole mass 2 adj: participated in by or affecting a large number of individuals mass insurance underwriting mass tort litigation Merriam Webster’s Dictionary… … Law dictionary
mass — mass; mass·i·ness; soul·mass; mass·cult; mass·less; bio·mass; mass·less·ness; … English syllables
Mass — [ mæs ] noun count or uncount a ceremony in the Christian Church, especially the Roman Catholic Church, in which Jesus Christ s last meal with his DISCIPLES is remembered: attend/hear Mass celebrate Mass (=perform the ceremony): The Pope will… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
