mace

plural maces

1. A heavy fighting club.

   The Mace is an ancient weapon, formerly much used by cavalry of all nations, and likewise by ecclesiastics, who in consequence of their tenures, frequently took the field, but were by a canon of the church forbidden to wield the sword.

   1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 51

2. A ceremonial form of this weapon.

   I am a king that find thee; and I know 'Tis not the balm, the sceptre, and the ball, The sword, the mace, the crown imperial, The intertissued robe of gold and pearl

   1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], line 259

3. A long baton used by some drum majors to keep time and lead a marching band. If this baton is referred to as a mace, by convention it has a ceremonial often decorative head, which, if of metal, usually is hollow and sometimes intricately worked.
4. An officer who carries a mace as a token of authority.

   On the left were the Commons with their Speaker, attended by the mace. The southern door opened: and the Prince and Princess of Orange, side by side, entered, and took their place under the canopy of state.

   1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC

5. A knobbed mallet used by curriers to make leather supple when dressing it.

   In the foreground one man uses the "head knife” to work over the skin on the beam, while another softens a skin with the currier's mace.

   1967, Harold B. Gill, Raymond R. Townsend, Thomas K. Ford, The Leatherworker in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg

6. A flail.
7. archaicA billiard cue.

present singular third person maces · participle present macing · participle past maced · past maced

1. To hit someone or something with a mace.

1. uncountableA spice obtained from the outer layer of the kernel of the fruit of the nutmeg.

   I must have saffron to color the warden pies; mace; dates, none -- that's out of my note; nutmegs, seven; a race or two of ginger, but that I may beg; four pounds of prunes, and as many of raisins o' th' sun.

   c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], line 45

plural maces

1. countableuncountableTear gas or pepper spray, especially for personal use.

   […] was sentenced on Friday to 10 years in prison for shooting a man in the eye with a paintball gun, spraying people in the face with bear mace and aiming a loaded handgun at a crowd, prosecutors said.

   2021 December 10, Michael Levenson, “Self-Proclaimed Proud Boys Member Gets 10 Years for Violence at Portland Protests”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 18 Feb 2022

present singular third person maces · participle present macing · participle past maced · past maced

1. To spray in defense or attack with mace (pepper spray or tear gas) using a hand-held device.

   If a hooded stranger approached me in real life, I would mace him.

   2011, Qui Nguyen, She Kills Monsters, spoken by Agnes Evans, New York, N.Y.: Samuel French, scene II

2. informalTo spray a similar noxious chemical in defense or attack using an available hand-held device such as an aerosol spray can.

   When Reynaldo and Willie had burst into Larkey's drug store to confront him, the old man had maced Willie square in the eyes with an aerosol can of spermicidal birth-control foam.

   1989, Carl Hiaasen, chapter 22, in Skin Tight, New York: Ballantine Books

plural maces

1. An old money of account in China equal to one tenth of a tael.
2. An old weight of 57.98 grains, approximately 3.8 grams.

   The decimals of the tael, called mace, candareen, and cash (tsien, fǎn, and li) , are employed in reckoning bullion.

   1883, Samuel Wells Williams, The Middle Kingdom: A Survey of the Geography, Government, Education, Social Life, Arts, Religion, &c., of the Chinese Empire and Its Inhabitants

   Synonyms: chee, tsien

plural Maces

1. countableuncountableAlternative letter-case form of mace (tear gas or pepper spray)
2. countableA male given name, a name derived from the war instrument, a mace
3. countableA surname.

   Prior to the House passing the legislation, only four Republicans had joined all Democrats in signing a petition to force a vote - Thomas Massie, Lauren Boebert, Nancy Mace and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

   2025 November 18, Brandon Drenon, “The only 'no' vote on releasing Epstein files”, in BBC

   1. countableuncountableAn English surname transferred from the given name.
   2. countableuncountableA surname from Norman.
4. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Walnut Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States.

plural MACEs

1. abbreviationinitialismmedicineInitialism of major adverse cardiovascular event.