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(), n.[F. masque, LL. masca, mascha, mascus; cf. Sp. & Pg. mscara, 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) 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 fortress 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. スポンサード リンク
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