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 masses (2 of 3)
massé
[ ma-sey or, esp. British, mas-ee ]
/ mæˈseɪ or, esp. British, ˈmæs i /
noun Billiards.
a stroke made by hitting the cue ball with the cue held almost or quite perpendicular to the table.
Also called
massé shot.
Definition for masses (3 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
Example sentences from the Web for masses
British Dictionary definitions for masses (1 of 4)
masses
/ (ˈmæsɪz) /
pl n
the masses
the body of common people
(often foll by of) informal, mainly British
great numbers or quantities
masses of food
British Dictionary definitions for masses (2 of 4)
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 masses (3 of 4)
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 masses (4 of 4)
massé
mass shot
/ (ˈmæsɪ) /
noun
billiards
a stroke made by hitting the cue ball off centre with the cue held nearly vertically, esp so as to make the ball move in a curve around another ball before hitting the object ball
Word Origin for massé
C19: from French, from
masser to hit from above with a hammer, from
masse sledgehammer, from Old French
mace
mace
1
Medical definitions for masses
mass
[ măs ]
n.
Scientific definitions for masses
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 masses (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 masses (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 masses (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.)