en masse

See also: en-masse

English

WOTD – 14 August 2019

Alternative forms

• en-masse
• on mass (eggcorn)
• in mass (eggcorn)

Etymology

Borrowed from French en masse (literally “in a mass”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɒn ˈmæs/, /ɒ̃ ˈmæs/

• Audio (RP)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɑn ˈmæs/, IPA^(key): /ɪn ˈmæs/
• Rhymes: -æs

Adverb

en masse (not comparable)

1. In a single body or group; as one, together.

   Synonyms: collectively, jointly, mutually; see also Thesaurus:jointly

   Antonyms: independently, individually, separately; see also Thesaurus:individually

   • 1805 August 21, “The Levy en Masse. [From the Lewes Journal.]”, in The Spirit of the Public Journals for 1805. […], volume IX, London: Printed for James Ridgway, […], published 1806, →OCLC, page 241:

     [L]et the clergy, en Maſſe, preach him down, admoniſh their ſeveral congregations to be attentive to the duty they owe to the beſt of kings and to their country, and to ſeek to deprecate, by the holineſs of their lives, the wrath of the Almighty.

   • 1874 May 22, William T. Eley (witness), “Report from the Select Committee on Explosive Substances; […]”, in Reports from Committees: Six Volumes. […], volume IX, [London]: Ordered, by the House of Commons, to be printed, […], →OCLC, paragraph 1756, page 126, column 2:

     In the case of the very large caps called detonators, which are used in firing dynamite and gun cotton, is there not some risk of explosion en masse?—Yes, if you get large quantities of percussion powder together, there would be greater danger; […]

   • 1923, Song Ong Siang, “The Fifth Decade (1859–69)”, in One Hundred Years’ History of the Chinese in Singapore: […], London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 144:

     He [Goh Siew Tin] had traded largely with Java, and on the day of his funeral all the Chinese shops trading in Java produce were closed, while the pupils of the Toh Lam (Hokien) Mandarin School (of which Mr. Goh Siew Tin was President) en masse attended the funeral.

   • 1943 May, Lloyd R. Burley, “An Emergency Program in Physical Education”, in Mary Wibel, editor, The Journal of Health and Physical Education, volume 14, number 5, Washington, D.C.: American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, →ISSN, →OCLC, pages 259 and 292:

     During inclement weather it is necessary for this group to meet in one gymnasium. Therefore it was decided to consider the whole group as one class. Two instructors are assigned to each class. Part of the work is given en masse, and for the remainder the class is divided between the two instructors.

   • 1967 July 26, “Appeal of Avien, Inc. under Purchase Order No. 5921-11085 [Docket AECBCA No. 14-65]”, in Atomic Energy Commission Reports: Opinions and Decisions of the Atomic Energy Commission with Selected Orders, volume 4, [Washington, D.C.]: United States Government Printing Office, published 1973, page 1015:

     Low flow trips shall be individually adjustable. The low flow limits of all channels shall be adjustable en masse. The en masse adjustment shall be capable of modifying all individual trips by a common percentage of each trip setting.

   • 2013 September 24, Louise Taylor, “Fog lifts at Sunderland after Capital One Cup win over Peterborough”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian‎^[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 21 January 2016:

     Again the home players celebrated en masse.

Translations

in a single body or group

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 集體／集体 (zh) (jítǐ)

• Dutch: massaal (nl)
• Esperanto: amase
• Finnish: joukoittain, sankoin joukoin, yhtenä joukkona, yhtenä miehenä
• French: en masse (fr)
• German: in Massen
• Greek: μαζικά (el) (maziká)

  Ancient: πᾰνδημεί (pandēmeí)

• Ido: amase (io)
• Irish: le chéile
• Italian: in massa, massivamente (it)
• Khmer: កក (km) (kɑɑk)
• Maori: kōpuni, kurupe, pūtere, tōpū
• Old English: hēapmǣlum
• Polish: en masse (pl)
• Portuguese: em massa
• Romanian: în masă
• Russian: целико́м (ru) (celikóm), совме́стно (ru) (sovméstno), в це́лом (ru) (v célom), в ма́ссе (ru) (v másse), вме́сте (ru) (vméste), во мно́жестве (vo mnóžestve)
• Spanish: en tromba (es), en masa
• Swedish: i massor
• Vietnamese: rộ (vi), hàng loạt (vi), cả đám

Anagrams

• Meanses, Seemans, enseams

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ̃ mas/

• Audio

  (file)

• Audio (CAN)

  (file)

Adverb

en masse

1. en masse
   • 1955, Claude Lévi-Strauss, chapter VII, in Tristes Tropiques, Plon, published 1993, →ISBN, page 67; republished as John & Doreen Weightman, transl., Tristes Tropiques, Penguin, 2011, →ISBN:

     L’humanité s’installe dans la monoculture ; elle s’apprête à produire la civilisation en masse, comme la betterave.

     — Mankind has opted for monoculture; it is in the process of creating a mass civilization, as beetroot is grown in the mass.

2. in large amounts, massively
3. (Canada) in sufficient amounts

Anagrams

• menasse

German

Etymology

Borrowed from French en masse.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adverb

en masse

1. in large amounts

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French en masse.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ãˈmas/
• Rhymes: -as

Adverb

en masse (not comparable)

1. (literary) en masse

Further reading

• en masse in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• en masse in Polish dictionaries at PWN