black mass

plural black masses

1. A ritual, allegedly celebrated by witches, characterized by the inversion of the Traditional Latin Mass celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church.

   Local lore held that the quarry had once been the site of black masses.

   4 more examples

   An enormous number of monks and priests gave themselves up to sorcery, and there was no lack of apostate priests to perform the ceremonies of the Black Mass.

   1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 101

   As a parish priest in England he had dabbled in the black arts, seduced a number of his congregation from their faith and finally celebrated the Black Mass.

   1965, Attila Zohar, Kings Cross Black Magic, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 30

   Elmos and Maureen had draped their room in some old purple rags and were about to start a black mass when the police arrived.

   1970, Kevin Mackey, The Cure: Recollections of an Addict, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, published 1972, page 93

   Generals gathered in their masses / Just like witches at black masses

   1970, “War Pigs”, in Paranoid, performed by Black Sabbath

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see black, mass; especially, a dark amorphous blob.

   The paranormal investigators then aimed their cameras in the direction from which the black mass had been seen emerging.

plural Black Masses

1. Alternative letter-case form of black mass (“evil ritual”).

   As a parish priest in England he had dabbled in the black arts, seduced a number of his congregation from their faith and finally celebrated the Black Mass.

   1965, Attila Zohar, Kings Cross Black Magic, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 30

   1 more example

   An enormous number of monks and priests gave themselves up to sorcery, and there was no lack of apostate priests to perform the ceremonies of the Black Mass.

   1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 101