From Middle English mace, borrowed from Old French mace, mache, from Vulgar Latin *mattia, *mattea, matia, (compare Italian mazza, Spanish maza), probably from Proto-West Germanic *mattjō (“cutting tool, hoe”).
Meanings
A heavy fighting club.
The Mace is an ancient weapon, formerly much used by cavalry of all nations, and likewise by ecclesiastics, who in consequence of their tenures, frequently took the field, but were by a canon of the church forbidden to wield the sword. 1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 51:
A ceremonial form of this weapon.
I am a king that find thee; and I know 'Tis not the balm, the sceptre, and the ball, The sword, the mace, the crown imperial, The intertissued robe of gold and pearl 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], line 259:
A long baton used by some drum majors to keep time and lead a marching band. If this baton is referred to as a mace, by convention it has a ceremonial often decorative head, which, if of metal, usually is hollow and sometimes intricately worked.
An officer who carries a mace as a token of authority.
On the left were the Commons with their Speaker, attended by the mace. The southern door opened: and the Prince and Princess of Orange, side by side, entered, and took their place under the canopy of state. 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
A knobbed mallet used by curriers to make leather supple when dressing it.
In the foreground one man uses the "head knife” to work over the skin on the beam, while another softens a skin with the currier's mace. 1967, Harold B. Gill, Raymond R. Townsend, Thomas K. Ford, The Leatherworker in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg:
el απελατίκι (weapon) · ga más (weapon) · ml ഗദ (weapon) · fi marssisauva (ceremonial form of this weapon) · kk бұздыған (weapon) · xcl վարզ (weapon) · ru булава́ (weapon) · su gegendir (weapon) · cy byrllysg (weapon) · sh то̀пуз (weapon) · uk па́лиця (weapon) · be па́ліца (weapon) · pl maczuga (weapon) · tr besbase (weapon) · sh буздо̀ва̄н (weapon) · sh tòpuz (weapon) · ar دَبُّوس (weapon) · fi sauva (ceremonial form of this weapon) · ms cokmar (weapon) · bg топу́з (weapon) · ota طوپوز (weapon) · ca maça (weapon) · pt maça (weapon) · mt debbus (weapon) · ru па́лица (weapon) · cy byrllysg (ceremonial form of this weapon) · cmn 錘 /锤 (weapon) · es maza (weapon) · fa گرز (weapon) · mk боздоган (weapon) · mk жезол (ceremonial form of this weapon) · hu jogar (ceremonial form of this weapon) · scn mazza (weapon) · pl buzdygan (weapon) · tg гурз (weapon) · es maza de armas (weapon) · grc ἀπελατίκιν (weapon) · lt buožė (weapon) · fr masse d'armes (weapon) · ba күҫәк (weapon) · gl maza (weapon) · fi rautanuija (weapon) · mt mazza (weapon) · sh жѐзло (ceremonial form of this weapon) · uk булава́ (weapon) · fr masse (ceremonial form of this weapon) · ja メイス (ceremonial form of this weapon) · hy գուրզ (weapon) · be булава́ (weapon) · cs žezlo (ceremonial form of this weapon) · pl buława (ceremonial form of this weapon) · bg жезъл (ceremonial form of this weapon) · alt чокпор (weapon) · id gada (weapon) · ba суҡмар (weapon) · ja メイス (weapon) · mk топуз (weapon) · da stridskølle (weapon) · mk жезло (ceremonial form of this weapon) · pt maça (ceremonial form of this weapon) · bg боздуга́н (weapon) · ms cokmar (ceremonial form of this weapon) · ko 메이스 (weapon) · alt токпок (weapon) · sa गदा (weapon) · ro buzdugan (weapon) · it mazza (weapon) · fr masse (weapon) · hy լախտ (weapon) · hu buzogány (weapon) · de Streitkolben (weapon) · it mazza (ceremonial form of this weapon) · la matia (ceremonial form of this weapon) · sh žèzlo (ceremonial form of this weapon) · cs palcát (weapon) · nl strijdknots (weapon) · fi virkasauva (ceremonial form of this weapon) · pl buława (weapon) · it mazza d'armi (weapon) · ru жезл (ceremonial form of this weapon) · ca maça (ceremonial form of this weapon) · uz gurzi (weapon) · sv klubba (weapon) · la clava ferrea (weapon) · ltg škynda (weapon) · lv vāle (weapon) · ne गढ (weapon) · he אלה (weapon) · sh buzdòvān (weapon) · id gada (ceremonial form of this weapon) · de Amtsstab (ceremonial form of this weapon) · grc κορύνη (weapon) · az toppuz (weapon)
From Middle English mace, borrowed from Old French mace, mache, from Vulgar Latin *mattia, *mattea, matia, (compare Italian mazza, Spanish maza), probably from Proto-West Germanic *mattjō (“cutting tool, hoe”).
From Middle English, from re-interpretation of macys as a plural (as with pea); from Latin macir. Doublet of macir.
Meanings
(uncountable) A spice obtained from the outer layer of the kernel of the fruit of the nutmeg.
I must have saffron to color the warden pies; mace; dates, none -- that's out of my note; nutmegs, seven; a race or two of ginger, but that I may beg; four pounds of prunes, and as many of raisins o' th' sun. c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], line 45:
ms kembang pala (a spice) · tr topuz (a spice) · mai जापत्री (a spice) · fr macis (a spice) · pa ਮੇਸ (a spice) · ur جاوتری (a spice) · hu szerecsendió-virág (a spice) · ko 메이스 (a spice) · sv muskotblomma (a spice) · eu mazis (a spice) · gu મેસ (a spice) · sh muškatni cvijet (a spice) · li besjaotebloum (a spice) · cy mês (a spice) · pl kwiat muszkatołowy (a spice) · es macis (a spice) · ta ஜாதிக்காய் (a spice) · de Macis (a spice) · bg мацис (a spice) · eo maciso (a spice) · fa پوست جوز هندی (a spice) · mwr जावंतरी (a spice) · cmn 肉豆蔻皮 (a spice) · uk муска́тний цвіт (a spice) · sh macis (a spice) · ms bunga pala (a spice) · hi जावित्री (a spice) · fi muskottikukka (a spice) · uk ма́цис (a spice) · it macis (a spice) · ja メース (a spice) · da muskatblomme (a spice) · el μασίς (a spice) · li blom (a spice) · nl foelie (a spice) · id bunga pala (a spice) · af foelie (a spice) · pl macis (a spice) · sl muškatni cvet (a spice) · kn ಜಾಪತ್ರೆ (a spice) · enm macys (a spice) · pt macis (a spice) · ru муска́тный цвет (a spice) · uk муска́тний квіт (a spice) · ta சாதிக்காய் (a spice) · gl macis (a spice) · ca macís (a spice) · cs muškátový květ (a spice) · mi meihi (a spice) · ru ма́цис (a spice) · hi जावत्री (a spice) · de Muskatblüte (a spice) · ar قِشْرَةُ جَوْزِ الطِيبِ (a spice) · ar بَسْبَاس (a spice)
From the name of one brand of the spray, Mace. Pepper spray may be derived from cayenne pepper, but not from mace (etymology 2 above), which is a different spice; rather, it was named after the weapon (etymology 1).
Meanings
(countable, uncountable) Tear gas or pepper spray, especially for personal use.
[…] was sentenced on Friday to 10 years in prison for shooting a man in the eye with a paintball gun, spraying people in the face with bear mace and aiming a loaded handgun at a crowd, prosecutors said. 2021 December 10, Michael Levenson, “Self-Proclaimed Proud Boys Member Gets 10 Years for Violence at Portland Protests”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 18 Feb 2022:
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
maces
Number=Plur
lexicographic
Translations (6)
sv pepparsprej (tear gas and pepper spray) · ja メイス (tear gas and pepper spray) · pl lakrymator (tear gas and pepper spray) · ru слезоточи́вый газ (tear gas and pepper spray) · fi pippurisumute (tear gas and pepper spray) · de Reizstoff (tear gas and pepper spray)
From the name of one brand of the spray, Mace. Pepper spray may be derived from cayenne pepper, but not from mace (etymology 2 above), which is a different spice; rather, it was named after the weapon (etymology 1).
Meanings
To spray in defense or attack with mace (pepper spray or tear gas) using a hand-held device.
(informal) To spray a similar noxious chemical in defense or attack using an available hand-held device such as an aerosol spray can.
When Reynaldo and Willie had burst into Larkey's drug store to confront him, the old man had maced Willie square in the eyes with an aerosol can of spermicidal birth-control foam. 1989, Carl Hiaasen, chapter 22, in Skin Tight, New York: Ballantine Books:
Borrowed from Javanese [Term?] and Malay [Term?], meaning "a bean".
Meanings
An old money of account in China equal to one tenth of a tael.
An old weight of 57.98 grains, approximately 3.8 grams.
The decimals of the tael, called mace, candareen, and cash (tsien, fǎn, and li) , are employed in reckoning bullion. 1883, Samuel Wells Williams, The Middle Kingdom: A Survey of the Geography, Government, Education, Social Life, Arts, Religion, &c., of the Chinese Empire and Its Inhabitants: