masquerade en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈmɑːs-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈmɐːs-/ (Australia)
- /ˌmæskəˈɹæɪd/ (Australia)
- /ˌmɑːs-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈmæskəˌɹæɪd/ (Australia)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈmæskəˌɹeɪd/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (General-American) audio
- /ˌmɐːs-/ (Australia)
- /ˈmæskəˌɹeɪd/ (Canada, General-American)
- /ˌmæskəˈɹeɪd/ (Canada, General-American)
- /ˌmæskəˈɹeɪd/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
The noun is borrowed from Middle French mascarade, masquarade, masquerade (modern French mascarade (“masquerade, masque; farce”)), and its etymon Italian mascherata (“masquerade”), from maschera (“mask”) + -ata. Maschera is derived from Medieval Latin masca (“mask”): see further there. The English word is cognate with Late Latin masquarata, Portuguese mascarada, Spanish mascarada. The verb is derived from the noun.
Meanings
-
(also, attributive) An assembly or party of people wearing (usually elaborate or fanciful) masks and costumes, and amusing themselves with dancing, conversation, or other diversions.
What guards the purity of melting Maids, / In courtly Balls and midnight Maſquerades, / Safe from the treach'rous friend, and daring ſpark, / The glance by day, the whiſper in the dark; / [...] / 'Tis but their Sylph, the wiſe Celeſtials know, / Tho' Honour is the word with Men below.
1714, Alexander Pope, “The Rape of the Lock”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], published 1717, →OCLC, canto I, page 125:Near-synonym: costume party
I was invited to the masquerade at their home.
- (also, attributive) The act of wearing a mask or dressing up in a costume for, or as if for, a masquerade ball.
-
(also, attributive, figuratively) An act of living under false pretenses; a concealment of something by a false or unreal show; a disguise, a pretence; also, a pretentious display.
Verres in the youth of Cicero, Catiline and Clodius in his middle age, Mark Antony in his old age, have all been left to operate on the modern reader's feelings precisely through that masquerade of misrepresentation which invariably accompanied the political eloquence of Rome.
1842 July, [Thomas de Quincey], “Cicero”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume LII, number CCCXXI, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood & Sons, […], →OCLC, page 2, column 1:
- (also, attributive, figuratively) An assembly of varied, often fanciful, things.
- (also, attributive, slang) A cosplay event at which costumed attendees perform skits.
- (also, attributive, obsolete) A dramatic performance by actors in masks; a mask or masque.
- (also, attributive, obsolete, rare) A Spanish entertainment or military exercise in which squadrons of horses charge at each other, the riders fighting with bucklers and canes.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| masquerades | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| maskerade | alternative | lexicographic | |
| mascarade | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
masqueradingly · mask · masque
Synonyms
Translations (69)
sl maškarada (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · eo maskerado (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · es mascarada (act of living under false pretenses; concealment of something by a false or unreal show — see also disguise, pretence) · it pagliacciata (act of living under false pretenses; concealment of something by a false or unreal show — see also disguise, pretence) · sh maskaráda (act of living under false pretenses; concealment of something by a false or unreal show — see also disguise, pretence) · he מְסִבַּת תַּחְפֹּשׂוֹת (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · cmn 化妝舞會 /化妆舞会 (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · sh маскара́да (act of living under false pretenses; concealment of something by a false or unreal show — see also disguise, pretence) · sh màskenbāl (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · sk maškaráda (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · fa بالماسکه (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · pl maskarada (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · eo maskitaro (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · de Maskerade (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · mn багт наадам (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · hi छद्मवेश (act of living under false pretenses; concealment of something by a false or unreal show — see also disguise, pretence) · mk маскара́да (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · it sceneggiata (act of living under false pretenses; concealment of something by a false or unreal show — see also disguise, pretence) · sh maskaráda (assembly of varied, often fanciful, things) · it farsa (act of living under false pretenses; concealment of something by a false or unreal show — see also disguise, pretence) · sv maskerad (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · uk бал-маскара́д (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · hy դիմակահանդես (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · be маскара́д (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · hi छद्म (act of living under false pretenses; concealment of something by a false or unreal show — see also disguise, pretence) · cmn 面具舞會 /面具舞会 (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · tr kıyafet balosu (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · hu maszkabál (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · de Maskenspiel (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · fr mascarade (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · bg маскара́д (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · es mascarada (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · uk маскара́д (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · ko 가면무도회 (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · ka მასკარადი (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · ro mascaradă (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · pl bal przebierańców (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · et maskeraad (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · ru бал-маскара́д (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · cs maškaráda (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · ja 仮面舞踏会 (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · pl maskarada (act of living under false pretenses; concealment of something by a false or unreal show — see also disguise, pretence) · mk маскенбал (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · tr maskeli balo (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · hu álarcosbál (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · lv maskarāde (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · it festa in costume (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · be бал-маскара́д (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · de Maskerade (act of living under false pretenses; concealment of something by a false or unreal show — see also disguise, pretence) · sh маскара́да (cosplay event at which costumed attendees perform skits) · ru маскара́д (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · sh маскара́да (assembly of varied, often fanciful, things) · wa mascaråde (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · ca mascarada (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · et maskiball (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · sh ма̀скенба̄л (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · it ballo in maschera (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · sh maskaráda (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · ko 매스커레이드 (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · sh маскара́да (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · it mascherata (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · lt maskaradas (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · sh maskaráda (cosplay event at which costumed attendees perform skits) · fr bal masqué (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · ja マスカレイド (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · pt baile de máscaras (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · he נֶשֶׁף מַסֵּכוֹת (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · fi naamiaiset (party or assembly of people wearing masks and costumes) · ru маскара́д (act of living under false pretenses; concealment of something by a false or unreal show — see also disguise, pretence)