Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Mask?

\Mask\, n. [F. masque, LL. masca, mascha, mascus; cf. Sp. & Pg. m['a]scara, It. maschera; all fr. Ar. maskharat buffoon, fool, pleasantry, anything ridiculous or mirthful, fr. sakhira to ridicule, to laugh at. Cf. {Masque}, {Masquerade}.] 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. (Zo["o]l.) The lower lip of the larva of a dragon fly, modified so as to form a prehensile organ. {Mask house}, a house for masquerades. [Obs.]
\Mask\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Masked}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Masking}.] 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\, v. i. 1. To take part as a masker in a masquerade. --Cavendish. 2. To wear a mask; to be disguised in any way. --Shak.
\Mask\, n. 1. A person wearing a mask; a masker. The mask that has the arm of the Indian queen. --G. W. Cable. 2. (Sporting) The head or face of a fox. {Death mask}, a cast of the face of a dead person.