Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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adj
Involving a mass of things; concerning a large quantity or number.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, usually
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Involving a mass of people; of, for, or by the masses.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, usually
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Abbreviation of Massachusetts.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: abbreviation, alt-of
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Alternative form of Mas.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of, alternative
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Matter, material.
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, physical, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Matter, material.
Precious metal, especially gold or silver.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, physical, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Matter, material.
A measure of the inertia of a mass of matter, one of four fundamental properties of matter. SI unit of mass: kilogram.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, physical, uncountable
Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Matter, material.
A medicinal substance made into a cohesive, homogeneous lump, of consistency suitable for making pills.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, physical, uncountable
Topics: medicine, pharmacology, sciences
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Matter, material.
A palpable or visible abnormal globular structure.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, physical, uncountable
Topics: medicine, sciences
Synonyms: lump
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Matter, material.
Excess body mass, especially in the form of muscle hypertrophy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, physical, uncountable
Topics: bodybuilding, hobbies, lifestyle, sports
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A large quantity; a sum.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A large quantity; a sum.
Bulk; magnitude; body; size.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A large quantity; a sum.
The principal part; the main body.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A large quantity; a sum.
A large body of individuals, especially persons.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A large quantity; a sum.
The lower classes of persons.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, in-plural, uncountable
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The Eucharist, now especially in Roman Catholicism.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: Christianity
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Celebration of the Eucharist.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: Christianity
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The main kind of church service, in some denominations.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
Topics: Christianity
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: church service
noun
The sacrament of the Eucharist.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: usually
Topics: Christianity
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A musical setting of parts of the mass.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: Catholicism, Christianity, Roman-Catholicism
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A similar ceremony offered by a number of Christian churches.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A musical composition set to portions, or all, of the Mass.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To form or collect into a mass; to form into a collective body; to assemble.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ergative
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To celebrate mass.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
formed of separate units gathered into a mass or whole
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: aggregate, aggregated, aggregative
Antonyms: none provided
noun
(Roman Catholic Church and Protestant Churches) the celebration of the Eucharist
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: religious ceremony, religious ritual
Narrower terms: High Mass, Low Mass, Requiem
noun
the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: physical property, fundamental quantity, fundamental measure
Narrower terms: body, biomass, critical mass, rest mass, relativistic mass, bulk, gravitational mass, inertial mass, atomic mass, atomic weight, relative atomic mass, mass energy, molecular weight, relative molecular mass, mass defect, mass deficiency
noun
the property of something that is great in magnitude
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: bulk, volume
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: magnitude
Narrower terms: dollar volume, turnover
noun
a sequence of prayers constituting the Christian Eucharistic rite
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: prayer
noun
a musical setting for a Mass
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: religious music, church music
Narrower terms: Requiem
noun
an ill-structured collection of similar things (objects or people)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: collection, aggregation, accumulation, assemblage
Narrower terms: logjam, shock
noun
the common people generally
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: multitude, masses, hoi polloi, people, the great unwashed
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: group, grouping
Narrower terms: laity, temporalty, audience, following, followers
noun
a body of matter without definite shape
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: body
Narrower terms: coprolith, fecalith, faecalith, stercolith, drift, mat, pulp, mush
noun
(often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: batch, deal, flock, good deal, great deal, hatful, heap, lot, mess, mickle, mint, mountain, muckle, passel, peck, pile, plenty, pot, quite a little, raft, sight, slew, spate, stack, tidy sum, wad
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: large indefinite quantity, large indefinite amount
Narrower terms: flood, inundation, deluge, torrent, haymow
verb
join together into a mass or collect or form a mass
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: crowd, crowd together
Narrower terms: press
History
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.
Short forms.
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.
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.
Across languages
463 source translations are retained for this English entry.
