Dictionary

mask en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /mask/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /mɑːsk/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /mask/ (Northern-England, Scotland)
• /mɑːsk/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /mæsk/ (General-American)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French masque (“a covering to hide or protect the face”), from Italian maschera (“mask, disguise”), from (a byform of, see it for more) Medieval Latin masca, mascha, a borrowing of Proto-West Germanic *maskā, from which English mesh and mask (“mesh”) (below at Etymology 2) are inherited. Doublet of mascara, masque, and mesh. Replaced Old English grīma (“mask”), whence grime, and displaced non-native Middle English viser (“visor, mask”) borrowed from Old French viser, visier.

Meanings

1. A cover, or partial cover, for the face, used for disguise or protection.
   • Just a few days ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—the CDC—issued new mask guidelines. Under these new guidelines, most Americans in most of the country can now be mask free. And based on the projections, more of the country will reach that point across the next couple of weeks. 2022 March 1, Joe Biden, “Remarks of President Joe Biden – State of the Union Address As Prepared for Delivery”, in whitehouse.gov, archived from the original on 02 Mar 2022:
   • a dancer's mask; a fencer's mask; a ball player's mask
2. That which disguises; a pretext or subterfuge.
   • Grouchy and wary and tender, he’s a sozzled hedonist seemingly out for himself—though his party-animal facade is just a mask for his bottomless generosity. 2021 October 26, Stephanie Zacharek, “The 19 Most Underrated Movies on Netflix”, in Time, archived from the original on 16 Apr 2022:
3. (poetic) Appearance, likeness.
   • Come then, pure hands, and bear the head ⁠That sleeps or wears the mask of sleep, ⁠And come, whatever loves to weep, And hear the ritual of the dead. 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XVIII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 30:
4. A festive entertainment of dancing or other diversions, where all wear masks; a masquerade.
   • This thought might lead me through the world's vain mask. 1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
5. A person wearing a mask.
   • the mask that has the arm of the Indian queen 1880, George Washington Cable, The Grandissimes: A Story of Creole Life:
   • Jones, now taking the mask by the hand, fell to entreating her in the most earnest manner, to acquaint him where he might find Sophia; and when he could obtain no direct answer, he began to upbraid her gently […] 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling:
6. (obsolete) A dramatic performance in which the actors wore masks and represented mythical or allegorical characters.
7. A grotesque head or face, used to adorn keystones and other prominent parts, to spout water in fountains, and the like.
8. In a permanent fortification, a redoubt which protects the caponiere.
9. A screen for a battery.
10. The lower lip of the larva of a dragonfly, modified so as to form a prehensile organ.
11. A flat covering used to block off an unwanted portion of a scene or image.
12. A pattern of bits used in bitwise operations; bitmask.
13. A two-color (black and white) bitmap generated from an image, used to create transparency in the image.
14. The black fur around a racoon's eyes.
15. The head of a fox, shown face-on and cut off immediately behind the ears.

Forms

Deriveds

masklike · anti-mask · paint mask · dust mask · riot mask · promask · procedure mask · spit mask · maskless · pregnancy mask · maskability · softmask · slitmask · remask · eye mask · tragedy mask · Nablus mask-like facial syndrome · photomask · eyemask · maskful · maskery · gasmask · facemask · mask-off moment · filemask · Parkinson's mask · take the mask off · maskurbator · shadow mask · antimasker · half mask · maskhole · demask · domino mask · bag valve mask · sheet mask · face mask · lion mask · Jason mask · maskmaker · oxygen mask · bar mask · pro-masker · comedy mask · hostmask · flu mask · maskfish · mask house · sleep mask · mask of pregnancy · mask acne · facial mask · maskette · masktard · maskne · raster mask · beard mask · antimask · deathmask · half-mask · life mask · immask · dismask · drama mask · catcher's mask · maskee · keymask · mask shell · diving mask · nanomask · SARS mask · gas mask · death mask · Hannibal Lecter mask · netmask · finger mask · mask work · nano mask · birdcage mask · pro-mask · bemask · ski mask · war-mask · hair mask · surgical mask · solder mask · screen mask

Hyponyms

domino mask (a cover for the face) · sleep mask (a cover for the face)

Synonyms

vizard · mascaron

Translations (236)

ug نىقاب (cover for the face) · fo maska (cover for the face) · ja お面 (cover for the face) · as মুখা (cover for the face) · id kedok (cover for the face) · sk maska (cover for the face) · el μεταμφίεση (festive entertainment) · uz maska (cover for the face) · gl mascarada (festive entertainment) · la masca (cover for the face) · acr k’ooj (cover for the face) · nb maske (cover for the face) · bn মাস্ক (cover for the face) · pt máscara (cover for the face) · lo ໜ້າກາກ (cover for the face) · es máscara (cover for the face) · pl maskarada (festive entertainment) · oc masca (cover for the face) · nl masker (cover for the face) · he צָעִיף (cover for the face) · fi naamari (cover for the face) · gl mázcara (cover for the face) · fi naamionäytelmä (dramatic performance) · grc προσωπίς (cover for the face) · vi mặt nạ (cover for the face) · ro mască (cover for the face) · ga masc (cover for the face) · it maschera (cover for the face) · sq maskë (cover for the face) · el μεταμφίεση (that which disguises) · et mask (cover for the face) · az maska (cover for the face) · de Maske (cover for the face) · ca careta (cover for the face) · fi kaponieeria suojaava redutti (fortification: redoubt which protects the caponiere) · gl carantoña (cover for the face) · da maske (cover for the face) · hu álarc (zoology: lower lip of the larva of a dragon fly) · ur نقاب (cover for the face) · gd sgàile (that which disguises) · es capa (two-color bitmap used to create transparency in an image) · es gambox (gambosh) (cover for the face) · cmn 面罩 (cover for the face) · ff 𞤸𞤵𞥅𞤪𞤭𞤪𞤣𞤵 𞤴𞤫𞥅𞤧𞤮 (cover for the face) · arz قناع (cover for the face) · ky маска (cover for the face) · it maschera (that which disguises) · arz ماسك (cover for the face) · non gríma (cover for the face) · eo masko (cover for the face) · sv maskerad (festive entertainment) · ett phersu (cover for the face) · km ឧណ្ហីស (cover for the face) · he מַסֵּכָה (cover for the face) · pt mascarada (dramatic performance) · scn màscara (cover for the face) · id masker (cover for the face) · el προσωπίδα (cover for the face) · gl marafón (cover for the face) · tk maska (cover for the face) · ang grīma (cover for the face) · bg маскара́д (festive entertainment) · acw قِنَاع (cover for the face) · mt maskra (cover for the face) · pl maska (cover for the face) · is gríma (cover for the face) · es cambuj (cover for the face) · km ម៉ាសក៍ (cover for the face) · el μάσκα (pattern of bits used in bitwise operations) · ar كِمامة (cover for the face) · af masker (cover for the face) · es mascarada (dramatic performance) · my မျက်နှာဖုံး (cover for the face) · pdt Frauz (cover for the face) · wa diguijhî (that which disguises) · bg ма́ска (cover for the face) · mk маска (cover for the face) · sv mask (that which disguises) · ka ნიღაბი (cover for the face) · ms kedok (cover for the face) · gl careta (cover for the face) · ru ма́ска (cover for the face) · gd masg (that which disguises) · ru личи́на (cover for the face) · myv чамакс (cover for the face) · hy քող (that which disguises) · ka პირბადე (cover for the face) · ja 仮面 (cover for the face) · sh krȋnka (cover for the face) · lt kaukė (cover for the face) · scn mascra (cover for the face) · la persōna (cover for the face) · nci xāyacatl (cover for the face) · mhn lòrf (cover for the face) · vi mặt nạ (that which disguises) · fo gríma (cover for the face) · chr ᎠᎬᏚᎶ (cover for the face) · kmr kemam (cover for the face) · sh кри̑нка (cover for the face) · tr maske (cover for the face) · gl caroza (cover for the face) · km ប៉ាន (cover for the face) · ru личи́на (that which disguises) · ca màscara (cover for the face) · gd sgàile (cover for the face) · wa fås vizaedje (cover for the face) · hu maszk (cover for the face) · taa ch'enan' (cover for the face) · ms topeng (cover for the face) · nb maske (that which disguises) · ta முகமூடி (cover for the face) · ba маска (cover for the face) · es antifaz (cover for the face) · el μάσκα (cover for the face) · fi maski (pattern of bits used in bitwise operations) · id topeng (cover for the face) · ko 가면 (cover for the face) · sw barakoa (cover for the face) · fi patterin suojus (fortification: screen for a battery) · bn মুখোশ (cover for the face) · sv genomskinlighetsmask (two-color bitmap used to create transparency in an image) · hi मुखौटा (cover for the face) · gl liborio (cover for the face) · hy դիմակ (cover for the face) · nn maske (that which disguises) · cs škraboška (cover for the face) · bg ма́ска (that which disguises) · pt máscara (that which disguises) · fi naamio (cover for the face) · ta முகத்திரை (that which disguises) · mn баг (cover for the face) · ms pelitup (cover for the face) · zlw-ocs kraboška (cover for the face) · sh о̀бразина (cover for the face) · ro mască (that which disguises) · ca màscara (that which disguises) · hi नक़ाब (cover for the face) · ja 面形 (cover for the face) · km ក្បាំងមុខ (cover for the face) · ms penutup muka (cover for the face) · fi naamiointi (that which disguises) · pl maseczka (cover for the face) · sh ли̏чина (cover for the face) · mr मुखवटा (cover for the face) · sl krinka (cover for the face) · be ма́ска (cover for the face) · gl máscara (that which disguises) · nrf vîsagiéthe (cover for the face) · ru ма́ска (festive entertainment) · it mascherina (cover for the face) · mr मास्क (cover for the face) · bo འབག (cover for the face) · ko 마스크 (cover for the face) · fa ماسک (cover for the face) · grc προσωπεῖον (cover for the face) · sh màska (cover for the face) · sh òbrazina (cover for the face) · ka მასკა (cover for the face) · de Maske (that which disguises) · cmn 面具 (cover for the face) · az üzlük (cover for the face) · uz niqob (cover for the face) · nn maske (cover for the face) · el μορμολύκειο (cover for the face) · cs maska (cover for the face) · fi pyyntinaamari (zoology: lower lip of the larva of a dragon fly) · es gambux (gambush) (cover for the face) · aht cʼenaenʼ (cover for the face) · ff huurirdu yeeso (cover for the face) · pt máscara (two-color bitmap used to create transparency in an image) · ta முகமூடி (that which disguises) · mi ārai kanohi (cover for the face) · kmr kemame (ku) (cover for the face) · am ጭምብል (cover for the face) · ta கொந்தி (festive entertainment) · gd aghaidh-choimheach (cover for the face) · sw kinyago (cover for the face) · cy mwgwd (that which disguises) · gl máscara (cover for the face) · pt mascarada (festive entertainment) · gd brat-gnùise (cover for the face) · ja 仮面 (that which disguises) · ps نقاب (cover for the face) · ary ماسك (cover for the face) · cy mwgwd (cover for the face) · th หน้ากาก (cover for the face) · vo maskar (cover for the face) · ur ماسک (cover for the face) · ga púic (cover for the face) · kmr maske (ku) (cover for the face) · gl carauta (cover for the face) · fo gekkaskortur (cover for the face) · ko 탈 (cover for the face) · fa نقاب (cover for the face) · sm ufimata (cover for the face) · sh kràbulja (cover for the face) · grc μορμολύκειον (cover for the face) · rgn mascaréna (cover for the face) · tg ниқоб (cover for the face) · fi maskaroni (architecture: grotesque head or face) · sv mask (cover for the face) · fi maski (cover for the face) · wa masse (cover for the face) · es mascarilla (cover for the face) · lv maska (cover for the face) · syl ꠢꠥꠙꠣ (cover for the face) · sl maska (cover for the face) · mn маск (cover for the face) · kk маска (cover for the face) · es máscara (architecture: grotesque head or face) · wa mascaråde (that which disguises) · ja 覆面 (cover for the face) · fr masque (cover for the face) · eu mozorro (cover for the face) · fi naamiaiset (festive entertainment) · hu álarc (cover for the face) · ug ماسكا (cover for the face) · ru ма́ска (that which disguises) · hi मास्क (cover for the face) · ba битлек (cover for the face) · el προσωπείο (cover for the face) · cmn 蒙版 (two-color bitmap used to create transparency in an image) · gd masg (pattern of bits used in bitwise operations) · sh lȉčina (cover for the face) · yi מאַסקע (cover for the face) · czk קְרַבוֹשְקְא (cover for the face) · uk ма́ска (cover for the face) · ca mascarada (dramatic performance) · ar قِناع (cover for the face) · sh кра̀буља (cover for the face) · fi maski (two-color bitmap used to create transparency in an image) · kmr rûpoş (ku) (cover for the face) · gd masg (cover for the face) · sh ма̀ска (cover for the face) · ja マスク (cover for the face) · cmn 掩码 (pattern of bits used in bitwise operations)

wikipedia: Tsai Ing-wen

mask en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /mask/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /mɑːsk/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /mask/ (Northern-England, Scotland)
• /mɑːsk/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /mæsk/ (General-American)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French masque (“a covering to hide or protect the face”), from Italian maschera (“mask, disguise”), from (a byform of, see it for more) Medieval Latin masca, mascha, a borrowing of Proto-West Germanic *maskā, from which English mesh and mask (“mesh”) (below at Etymology 2) are inherited. Doublet of mascara, masque, and mesh. Replaced Old English grīma (“mask”), whence grime, and displaced non-native Middle English viser (“visor, mask”) borrowed from Old French viser, visier.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To cover (the face or something else), in order to conceal the identity or protect against injury; to cover with a mask or visor.
   • They must all be masked and vizarded c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vi]:
2. (transitive) To disguise as something else.
3. (transitive) To conceal from view or knowledge; to cover; to hide.
   • Many autistic people have language and cognitive skills; [and] they mask their autism, cover up social discomfort, and work hard to be someone they are not, so people often see them as “fitting in” just fine. 2020, Lisa Morgan, Mary Donahue, Living with PTSD on the Autism Spectrum: Insightful Analysis with Practical Applications, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 118:
   • The opponent must not be able to recognize when we inhale and when we exhale. We achieve this by breathing with the diaphragm and we do not raise the shoulders while breathing. In particular we must mask when we are out of breath. 1998, Rudolf Jakhel, Modern Sports Karate: Basics of Techniques and Tactics, Meyer & Meyer Sport, →ISBN:
   • Masking the business from the common eye c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
4. (transitive) To conceal; also, to intervene in the line of.
5. (transitive) To cover or keep in check.
   • to mask a body of troops or a fortess by a superior force, while some hostile evolution is being carried out
6. (intransitive) To take part as a masker in a masquerade.
   • noble Gentilmen / who daunced & masked wt thes fayer ladyes & gentillwomen 1641, George Cavendish, Thomas Wolsey, Late Cardinall, his Lyffe and Deathe:
   • Come Pentecost as quickly as it will, Some five and twenty years, and then we mask’d. c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v]:
7. (intransitive) To put on a mask; to wear a mask.
   • Dr. Shelita Dattani, director of professional affairs at the Canadian Pharmacists Association, says […]. “The efforts that we’re taking to reduce the spread of COVID are working … people are masking and distancing and staying away from each other and using hand hygiene, so I think all of these efforts combined are contributing to lower rates.” 2020 December 30, Jaren Kerr, “Flu almost non-existent this year as coronavirus cases rise across Canada”, in The Globe and Mail:
8. (intransitive, obsolete) To disguise oneself, to be disguised in any way.
   • Ioue sometime maſked in a ſhepheards weede, And by thoſe ſteps that he hath ſcal’d the heauens, May we become immortall like the Gods. c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:
9. (intransitive) To conceal or disguise one's neurodivergence, especially autism; to learn, practice, and perform certain behaviors and suppress others in order to appear more neurotypical.
   • Some group members describe masking during therapy in order to seem more likeable to the therapist, or because they felt it necessary in order to be seen as engaging with the support. 2021, Felicity Sedgewick, Laura Hull, Helen Ellis, Autism and Masking: How and Why People Do It, and the Impact It Can Have, page 220:
   • Kayleigh, who was finally diagnosed at 18, felt that she masked a lot growing up because she "always felt different and was bullied if [she] showed it both at home and in school". 2022, Hannah Louise Belcher, Taking Off the Mask: Practical Exercises to Help Understand and Minimise the Effects of Autistic Camouflaging, page 80:
   • Masking is exhausting and some autistics require copious amounts of time afterwards to recover from hiding who they are and pretending to be someone they aren't. Even when autistics mask they don't always pass fully as an NT person. 2018, Sally Cat, PDA by PDAers: From Anxiety to Avoidance and Masking to Meltdowns, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 86:
   • So, masking seems to be a very poor explanation for the difference in gender diagnosis of autism. In particular, masking requires theory of mind. How can autistic people successfully mask if they struggle with this ability? 2021, Yenn Purkis, Wenn B. Lawson, The Autistic Trans Guide to Life, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 132:
   • Masking can leave a person with less energy to handle other aspects of their day, from performing basic housework to processing thoughts and feelings. 2020, Sarah Kurchak, I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder, unnumbered page:
10. (transitive) To cover or shield something, or a portion of something, so as to prevent reproduction or to safeguard the surface from the colors used when working with an air brush or painting.
11. (transitive) To set or unset (certain bits, or binary digits, within a value) by means of a bitmask.
    • That is, the lower nibble (the 4 bits 1010 = A) has been masked to zero. This is because ANDing anything with a zero produces a zero, while ANDing any bit with a 1 leaves the bit unchanged[…] 1993, Richard E. Haskell, Introduction to computer engineering, page 287:
12. (transitive) To disable (an interrupt, etc.) by setting or unsetting the associated bit.
    • Some hardware interrupts can be masked, or disabled; that is, the CPU is told to ignore them. 1998, Rick Grehan, Robert Moote, Ingo Cyliax, Real-Time Programming: A Guide to 32-bit Embedded Development, page 199:

Forms

Deriveds

maskable · mask off · mask up · masked · unmask

Relateds

mascara · masking tape · masquerade

Synonyms

mask up · mask off

Translations (41)

fi peittää (to cover or shield a part of a design or picture) · fi kätkeä (to conceal from view or knowledge) · ro a se masca (to wear a mask) · es enmascarar (to cover, as the face) · ca emmascarar (to disguise as something else) · fi maskata (to cover or shield a part of a design or picture) · eo maski (to wear a mask) · fi piilottaa (computing: to disable by setting or unsetting the associated bit) · fi kätkeä (military: to conceal) · ro masca (to cover, as the face) · fi naamioida (military: to conceal) · ro masca (to disguise as something else) · fi pitää naamiota (to wear a mask) · bg маскирам (to disguise as something else) · nl maskeren (to cover, as the face) · es disfrazarse (to disguise oneself) · sv maskera (to disguise as something else) · de sich maskieren (to wear a mask) · de maskieren (to disguise as something else) · fi käyttää maskia (to wear a mask) · es cubrir (to disguise as something else) · fi pitää naamiota (to take part as a masker in a masquerade) · de maskieren (to cover, as the face) · is gríma (to cover, as the face) · fi peittää (to conceal from view or knowledge) · fi naamioitua (to disguise oneself) · it mascherare (to disguise as something else) · ca emmascarar (to cover, as the face) · ro ascunde (to disguise as something else) · fi maskata (to conceal or disguise one's autism) · fi pidätellä (military: to cover or keep in check) · es disfrezarse (to disguise oneself) · fi naamioida (to cover, as the face) · ro deghiza (to disguise as something else) · fi naamioida (to disguise as something else) · mi hīpoki (to cover, as the face) · fi salata (to conceal from view or knowledge) · bg маскирам се (to cover, as the face) · fi peittää (to cover, as the face) · fi pitää naamaria (to wear a mask) · fi peittää (military: to conceal)

mask en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /mask/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /mɑːsk/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /mask/ (Northern-England, Scotland)
• /mɑːsk/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /mæsk/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English maske, from Old English max, masċ (“net”), from Proto-West Germanic *maskā (“mesh, netting, mask”). Doublet of mesh and mask above.

Meanings

1. Mesh.
2. (Scotland, UK, dialectal) The mesh of a net; a net; net-bag.

Forms

mask en · NOUN · etymology 3

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /mask/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /mɑːsk/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /mask/ (Northern-England, Scotland)
• /mɑːsk/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /mæsk/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English *mask, masch, from Old English māx, māsc (“mash”). Doublet of mash.

Meanings

1. (UK, dialectal) Mash.

Forms

mask en · VERB · etymology 3

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /mask/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /mɑːsk/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /mask/ (Northern-England, Scotland)
• /mɑːsk/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /mæsk/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English *mask, masch, from Old English māx, māsc (“mash”). Doublet of mash.

Meanings

1. (UK, dialectal, transitive) To mash.
2. (UK, dialectal, transitive) (brewing) To mix malt with hot water to yield wort.
3. (Cumbria, Durham, Geordie, Northumbria, Scotland, dialectal, transitive) To be infused or steeped.
4. (Cumbria, Durham, Geordie, Northumbria, Scotland, UK, dialectal) To prepare tea in a teapot; alternative to brew.
5. (Northern-England, Scotland, of clouds, qualifier:the weather; a storm; etc; the weather; a storm; etc, rare) To prepare (to storm).
   • The whislin' key hole o the door / Fou plainly tells a storm is maskin'. 1900, J. Milne, Poems, section 43:
   • ... mirky cluds in the south-wast / Are masking up a blashy blast, ... 1876, John Mactaggart, The Scottish Gallovidian encyclopedia, or, The ... curiosities of the south of Scotland, page 364:
   • I saw the storm was masking fast, That soon wad fa' on me;[…] 1839, Whistle-Binkie; or, the Piper of the party: a collection of songs for the social circle ... Second edition, enlarged. Edited by John D. Carrick, page 108:

Forms

mask en · VERB · etymology 4

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /mask/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /mɑːsk/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /mask/ (Northern-England, Scotland)
• /mɑːsk/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /mæsk/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English masken, short for *maskeren, malskren (“to bewilder; be confused, wander”). More at masker.

Meanings

1. (UK, dialectal, transitive) To bewilder; confuse.

Forms