Origin of mass
1350–1400; Middle English
masse < Latin
massa mass < Greek
mâza barley cake, akin to
mássein to knead
synonym study for mass
5. See
size1.
OTHER WORDS FROM mass
mass·ed·ly [mas-id-lee, mast-lee] /ˈmæs ɪd li, ˈmæst li/, adverb un·massed, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mass
massed mastWords nearby mass
Definition for mass (2 of 3)
Mass
[ mas ]
/ mæs /
noun
Origin of Mass
before 900; Middle English
masse, Old English
mæsse < Vulgar Latin
*messa, Late Latin
missa, formally feminine of Latin
missus, past participle of
mittere to send, dismiss; perhaps extracted from a phrase in the service with
missa est and a feminine subject
Definition for mass (3 of 3)
Example sentences from the Web for mass
British Dictionary definitions for mass (1 of 3)
mass
/ (mæs) /
noun
adjective
done or occurring on a large scale
mass hysteria; mass radiography
consisting of a mass or large number, esp of people
a mass meeting
verb
to form (people or things) or (of people or things) to join together into a mass
the crowd massed outside the embassy
Derived forms of mass
massed, adjective massedly (ˈmæsɪdlɪ, ˈmæstlɪ), adverbWord Origin for mass
C14: from Old French
masse, from Latin
massa that which forms a lump, from Greek
maza barley cake; perhaps related to Greek
massein to knead
British Dictionary definitions for mass (2 of 3)
Mass
/ (mæs, mɑːs) /
noun
Word Origin for Mass
Old English
mæsse, from Church Latin
missa, ultimately from Latin
mittere to send away; perhaps derived from the concluding dismissal in the Roman Mass,
Ite, missa est, Go, it is the dismissal
British Dictionary definitions for mass (3 of 3)
Mass.
abbreviation for
Massachusetts
Medical definitions for mass
mass
[ măs ]
n.
Scientific definitions for mass
mass
[ măs ]
A measure of the amount of matter contained in or constituting a physical body. In classical mechanics, the mass of an object is related to the force required to accelerate it and hence is related to its inertia, and is essential to Newton's laws of motion. Objects that have mass interact with each other through the force of gravity. In Special Relativity, the observed mass of an object is dependent on its velocity with respect to the observer, with higher velocity entailing higher observed mass. Mass is measured in many different units; in most scientific applications, the SI unit of kilogram is used. See Note at weight. See also rest energy General Relativity.
Cultural definitions for mass (1 of 3)
Mass
The common name in the Roman Catholic Church, and among some members of the Anglican Communion, for the sacrament of Communion.
notes for Mass
Cultural definitions for mass (2 of 3)
Mass
In music, a musical setting for the texts used in the Christian Church at the celebration of the Mass, or sacrament of Communion. Most Masses have been written for use in the Roman Catholic Church.
notes for Mass
Cultural definitions for mass (3 of 3)
mass
In physics, the property of matter that measures its resistance to acceleration. Roughly, the mass of an object is a measure of the number of atoms in it. The basic unit of measurement for mass is the kilogram. (See Newton's laws of motion; compare weight.)