mask

mask · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*maskā
2. Medieval Latin · derived frommasca
3. Italian · derived frommaschera“mask, disguise”
4. Middle French · borrowed frommasque“a covering to hide or protect the face”
5. English todaymask

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.

mask · noun²

1. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*maskā“mesh, netting, mask”
2. Old English · inherited frommax
3. Middle English · inherited frommaske
4. English todaymask

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

mask · noun, verb³

1. Old English · inherited frommāx
2. Middle English · inherited from*mask
3. English todaymask

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

mask · verb⁴

1. Middle English · inherited frommasken
2. English todaymask

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

Words from the same roots