mace

mace · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*mattjō“cutting tool, hoe”
2. Vulgar Latin · derived from*mattia
3. Old French · derived frommace
4. Middle English · inherited frommace
5. English todaymace

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”).

mace · noun²

1. Latin · derived frommacir
2. English todaymace

From Middle English, from re-interpretation of macys as a plural (as with pea); from Latin macir. Doublet of macir.

mace · noun, verb³

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).

mace · noun⁴

1. Malay · derived frommas“gold”
2. Portuguese · borrowed frommaz
3. English todaymace

Borrowed from Portuguese maz, from Malay mas (“gold”).

Mace · proper noun⁵

1. Late Latin · derived fromMacciacum
2. English todayMace

* As an English surname, from the personal name Masse, probably shortened from Matthew. Compare Massey, Massett. * As a French and Breton surname, from Macé, vernacular form of Mathieu. Compare Maze. * Also as a French surname, from Macé in Orne, from Late Latin Macciacum, from the personal name Maccius. * Also as a French surname, variant of Massé; see Masse.

Words from the same roots