masque

See also: masqué

English

Alternative forms

• mask

Etymology

Borrowed from French masque.

Pronunciation

• (General American, UK) IPA^(key): /mæsk/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /mɑːsk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æsk, -ɑːsk
• Homophones: mask, masc (some accents)

Noun

masque (plural masques)

1. (archaic, in 16th- and 17th-century England and Europe) A dramatic performance, often performed at court as a royal entertainment, consisting of dancing, dialogue, pantomime and song.
   • 1834, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Francesca Carrara, volume 1, page 221:

     "I think," said Anne to Madame de Mercœur, "we must obtain your protégée's services for our intended masque; however, I shall leave that to you young people to settle," turning to Louis as she spoke.

2. (archaic) Words and music written for a masque.
3. (archaic) A masquerade.
4. Archaic form of mask.
5. A facial mask.

   mud masque; clay masque

Verb

masque (third-person singular simple present masques, present participle masquing, simple past and past participle masqued)

1. Archaic form of mask.
   • 1924, Herman Melville, Billy Budd, London: Constable & Co., Chapter 16, [1]

     It is even masqued by that sort of good-humoured air that at heart he resents his impressment.

See also

• masque on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• squame

---

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian maschera. More at English mask.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mask/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

masque m (plural masques)

1. mask (a cover, or partial cover, for the face, used for disguise or protection)
2. Short for masque de grossesse.

Derived terms

• bas les masques
• masque à gaz
• masque à oxygène
• masque-cheval
• masque chirurgical
• masque de grossesse
• masque de plongée
• masque de nuit

Related terms

• démasquer
• masquer

Descendants

All are borrowed.

• Czech: maska
• Danish: maske
• English: masque
• German: Maske
  • → Hungarian: maszk
• Hunsrik: Mask
• Macedonian: маска (maska)
• Mongolian: маск (mask)
• Norwegian: maske
• Persian: ماسک‎ (mâsk)
• Polish: maska
• Romanian: mască
• Russian: маска (maska)
  • → Kazakh: маска (maska)
• Serbo-Croatian: maska / маска
• Swedish: mask
• Turkish: maske

Further reading

• “masque” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

---

Middle French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian maschera.

Noun

masque m (plural masques)

1. mask (covering for the face)

Descendants

• French: masque (see there for further descendants)
• → English: mask

---

Portuguese

Verb

masque

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of mascar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of mascar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of mascar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of mascar

---

Spanish

Verb

masque

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of mascar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of mascar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of mascar.