Library / English Dictionary

MASK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Activity that tries to conceal something

Example:

they moved in under a mask of friendship

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("mask" is a kind of...):

concealing; concealment; hiding (the activity of keeping something secret)

Derivation:

mask (cover with a sauce)

mask (hide under a false appearance)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A covering to disguise or conceal the face

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("mask" is a kind of...):

covering (an artifact that covers something else (usually to protect or shelter or conceal it))

disguise (any attire that modifies the appearance in order to conceal the wearer's identity)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mask"):

domino; eye mask; half mask (a mask covering the upper part of the face but with holes for the eyes)

false face (a mask worn as part of a masquerade costume)

Derivation:

mask (put a mask on or cover with a mask)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A protective covering worn over the face

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("mask" is a kind of...):

protection; protective cover; protective covering (a covering that is intend to protect from damage or injury)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mask"):

face mask (mask that provides a protective covering for the face in such sports as baseball or football or hockey)

gas helmet; gasmask; respirator (a protective mask with a filter; protects the face and lungs against poisonous gases)

welder's mask (a mask that you wear for protection when doing welding)

Derivation:

mask (put a mask on or cover with a mask)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A party of guests wearing costumes and masks

Synonyms:

mask; masque; masquerade; masquerade party

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("mask" is a kind of...):

party (a group of people gathered together for pleasure)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mask"):

fancy-dress ball; masked ball; masquerade ball (a ball at which guests wear costumes and masks)

Derivation:

mask (put a mask on or cover with a mask)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Put a mask on or cover with a mask

Example:

Mask the children for Halloween

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "mask" is one way to...):

cover (provide with a covering or cause to be covered)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Antonym:

unmask (take the mask off)

Derivation:

mask (a covering to disguise or conceal the face)

mask (a protective covering worn over the face)

mask (a party of guests wearing costumes and masks)

masker (a participant in a masquerade)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Shield from light

Synonyms:

block out; mask

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "mask" is one way to...):

cover (provide with a covering or cause to be covered)

Domain category:

photography; picture taking (the act of taking and printing photographs)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Cover with a sauce

Example:

mask the meat

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "mask" is one way to...):

cover (provide with a covering or cause to be covered)

"Mask" entails doing...:

cook (transform and make suitable for consumption by heating)

Domain category:

cookery; cooking; preparation (the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

mask (activity that tries to conceal something)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Hide under a false appearance

Example:

He masked his disappointment

Synonyms:

cloak; dissemble; mask

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "mask" is one way to...):

disguise; mask (make unrecognizable)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

mask (activity that tries to conceal something)

masking (the act of concealing the existence of something by obstructing the view of it)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Make unrecognizable

Example:

We disguised our faces before robbing the bank

Synonyms:

disguise; mask

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "mask" is one way to...):

conceal; hide (prevent from being seen or discovered)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mask"):

cloak; dissemble; mask (hide under a false appearance)

dissimulate (hide (feelings) from other people)

masquerade (take part in a masquerade)

camouflage (disguise by camouflaging; exploit the natural surroundings to disguise something)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Credits

 Context examples: 

It may be given through a nose tube, a mask, or a tent.

(Oxygen Therapy, NCI Dictionary)

Sir, if that was my master, why had he a mask upon his face?

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

An image of reduced quality resulting from the application of too many masks.

(Overcollimation, NCI Thesaurus)

The oxygen comes through nasal prongs, a mask, or a breathing tube.

(Oxygen Therapy, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

As soon as the door was closed, however, the mask fell from her face, and she sank down into a chair with a great sigh, and hid her eyes with her hand.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

To pluck the mask from the face of the Pharisee, is not to lift an impious hand to the Crown of Thorns.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Without this mask, the faint light from the planet would be utterly overwhelmed by the intense brightness of PDS 70.

(First Confirmed Image of Newborn Planet, ESO)

A smile flickered over the dark face of the servant, but his features reset themselves instantly into their usual mask of respectful observance.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A coded value specifying the roles of individuals who are masked for single or double blind studies.

(Interventional Study Protocol Version Blinded Role Code, NCI Thesaurus)

At least one month after the masked study injection, 13 participants chose to receive open-label botulinum toxin injections in areas that remained in spasm and were then followed for at least four months.

(Scientists identify spasm in women with endometriosis-associated chronic pelvic pain, National Institutes of Health)