mask Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a covering to disguise or conceal the face
  2. noun activity that tries to conceal something
    • no mask could conceal his ignorance
    • they moved in under a mask of friendship
  3. noun a party of guests wearing costumes and masks
    masquerade; masque; masquerade party.
  4. noun a protective covering worn over the face
  5. verb hide under a false appearance
    dissemble; cloak.
    • He masked his disappointment
  6. verb put a mask on or cover with a mask
    • Mask the children for Halloween
  7. verb make unrecognizable
    disguise.
    • The herb masks the garlic taste
    • We disguised our faces before robbing the bank
  8. verb cover with a sauce
    • mask the meat
  9. verb shield from light
    block out.

WordNet

Mask noun
Etymology
F. masque, LL. masca, mascha, mascus; cf. Sp. & Pg. máscara, It. maschera; all fr. Ar. maskharat buffoon, fool, pleasantry, anything ridiculous or mirthful, fr. sakhira to ridicule, to laugh at. Cf. Masque, Masquerade.
Definitions
  1. A cover, or partial cover, for the face, used for disguise or protection; as, a dancer's mask; a fencer's mask; a ball player's mask.
  2. That which disguises; a pretext or subterfuge.
  3. A festive entertainment of dancing or other diversions, where all wear masks; a masquerade; hence, a revel; a frolic; a delusive show. Bacon.
    This thought might lead me through the world's vain mask. Milton.
  4. A dramatic performance, formerly in vogue, in which the actors wore masks and represented mythical or allegorical characters.
  5. (Arch.) A grotesque head or face, used to adorn keystones and other prominent parts, to spout water in fountains, and the like; -- called also mascaron.
  6. (Fort.) (a) In a permanent fortification, a redoubt which protects the caponiere. (b) A screen for a battery.
  7. (Zoöl.) The lower lip of the larva of a dragon fly, modified so as to form a prehensile organ.
Mask transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Masked ; present participle & verbal noun Masking
Definitions
  1. To cover, as the face, by way of concealment or defense against injury; to conceal with a mask or visor.
    They must all be masked and vizarded. Shak.
  2. To disguise; to cover; to hide.
    Masking the business from the common eye. Shak.
  3. (Mil.) (a) To conceal; also, to intervene in the line of. (b) To cover or keep in check; as, to mask a body of troops or a fortess by a superior force, while some hostile evolution is being carried out.
Mask intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To take part as a masker in a masquerade. Cavendish.
  2. To wear a mask; to be disguised in any way. Shak.

Webster 1913