mask

plural masks · alternative archaic masque

1. A cover, or partial cover, for the face, used for disguise or protection.

   a dancer's mask; a fencer's mask; a ball player's mask

   1 more example

   Just a few days ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—the CDC—issued new mask guidelines. Under these new guidelines, most Americans in most of the country can now be mask free. And based on the projections, more of the country will reach that point across the next couple of weeks.

   2022 March 1, Joe Biden, “Remarks of President Joe Biden – State of the Union Address As Prepared for Delivery”, in whitehouse.gov, archived from the original on 02 Mar 2022

2. That which disguises; a pretext or subterfuge.

   Grouchy and wary and tender, he’s a sozzled hedonist seemingly out for himself—though his party-animal facade is just a mask for his bottomless generosity.

   2021 October 26, Stephanie Zacharek, “The 19 Most Underrated Movies on Netflix”, in Time, archived from the original on 16 Apr 2022

3. poeticAppearance, likeness.

   Come then, pure hands, and bear the head ⁠That sleeps or wears the mask of sleep, ⁠And come, whatever loves to weep, And hear the ritual of the dead.

   1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XVIII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 30

4. A festive entertainment of dancing or other diversions, where all wear masks; a masquerade.

   This thought might lead me through the world's vain mask.

   1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC

5. A person wearing a mask.

   the mask that has the arm of the Indian queen

   1880, George Washington Cable, The Grandissimes: A Story of Creole Life

   1 more example

   Jones, now taking the mask by the hand, fell to entreating her in the most earnest manner, to acquaint him where he might find Sophia; and when he could obtain no direct answer, he began to upbraid her gently […]

   1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

6. obsoleteA dramatic performance in which the actors wore masks and represented mythical or allegorical characters.
7. architectureA grotesque head or face, used to adorn keystones and other prominent parts, to spout water in fountains, and the like.

   Synonyms: mascaron

8. fortificationIn a permanent fortification, a redoubt which protects the caponiere.
9. fortificationA screen for a battery.
10. biologyThe lower lip of the larva of a dragonfly, modified so as to form a prehensile organ.
11. broadcastingA flat covering used to block off an unwanted portion of a scene or image.
12. computingA pattern of bits used in bitwise operations; bitmask.
13. computer graphicsA two-color (black and white) bitmap generated from an image, used to create transparency in the image.
14. biologyThe black fur around a racoon's eyes.
15. governmentThe head of a fox, shown face-on and cut off immediately behind the ears.

present singular third person masks · participle present masking · participle past masked · past masked · alternative archaic masque

1. transitiveTo cover (the face or something else), in order to conceal the identity or protect against injury; to cover with a mask or visor.

   They must all be masked and vizarded

   c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vi]

2. transitiveTo disguise as something else.
3. transitiveTo conceal from view or knowledge; to cover; to hide.

   Masking the business from the common eye

   c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]

   2 more examples

   The opponent must not be able to recognize when we inhale and when we exhale. We achieve this by breathing with the diaphragm and we do not raise the shoulders while breathing. In particular we must mask when we are out of breath.

   1998, Rudolf Jakhel, Modern Sports Karate: Basics of Techniques and Tactics, Meyer & Meyer Sport, →ISBN

   Many autistic people have language and cognitive skills; [and] they mask their autism, cover up social discomfort, and work hard to be someone they are not, so people often see them as “fitting in” just fine.

   2020, Lisa Morgan, Mary Donahue, Living with PTSD on the Autism Spectrum: Insightful Analysis with Practical Applications, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 118

4. transitivegovernmentTo conceal; also, to intervene in the line of.
5. transitivegovernmentTo cover or keep in check.

   to mask a body of troops or a fortess by a superior force, while some hostile evolution is being carried out

6. intransitiveTo take part as a masker in a masquerade.

   noble Gentilmen / who daunced & masked wt thes fayer ladyes & gentillwomen

   1641, George Cavendish, Thomas Wolsey, Late Cardinall, his Lyffe and Deathe

   1 more example

   Come Pentecost as quickly as it will, Some five and twenty years, and then we mask’d.

   c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v]

7. intransitiveTo put on a mask; to wear a mask.

   1 more example

   Dr. Shelita Dattani, director of professional affairs at the Canadian Pharmacists Association, says […]. “The efforts that we’re taking to reduce the spread of COVID are working … people are masking and distancing and staying away from each other and using hand hygiene, so I think all of these efforts combined are contributing to lower rates.”

   2020 December 30, Jaren Kerr, “Flu almost non-existent this year as coronavirus cases rise across Canada”, in The Globe and Mail

   Synonyms: mask up

8. intransitiveobsoleteTo disguise oneself, to be disguised in any way.

   Ioue sometime maſked in a ſhepheards weede, And by thoſe ſteps that he hath ſcal’d the heauens, May we become immortall like the Gods.

   c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii

9. intransitiveTo conceal or disguise one's neurodivergence, especially autism; to learn, practice, and perform certain behaviors and suppress others in order to appear more neurotypical.

   Masking can leave a person with less energy to handle other aspects of their day, from performing basic housework to processing thoughts and feelings.

   2020, Sarah Kurchak, I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder, unnumbered page

   4 more examples

   Masking is exhausting and some autistics require copious amounts of time afterwards to recover from hiding who they are and pretending to be someone they aren't. Even when autistics mask they don't always pass fully as an NT person.

   2018, Sally Cat, PDA by PDAers: From Anxiety to Avoidance and Masking to Meltdowns, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 86

   So, masking seems to be a very poor explanation for the difference in gender diagnosis of autism. In particular, masking requires theory of mind. How can autistic people successfully mask if they struggle with this ability?

   2021, Yenn Purkis, Wenn B. Lawson, The Autistic Trans Guide to Life, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 132

   Some group members describe masking during therapy in order to seem more likeable to the therapist, or because they felt it necessary in order to be seen as engaging with the support.

   2021, Felicity Sedgewick, Laura Hull, Helen Ellis, Autism and Masking: How and Why People Do It, and the Impact It Can Have, page 220

   Kayleigh, who was finally diagnosed at 18, felt that she masked a lot growing up because she "always felt different and was bullied if [she] showed it both at home and in school".

   2022, Hannah Louise Belcher, Taking Off the Mask: Practical Exercises to Help Understand and Minimise the Effects of Autistic Camouflaging, page 80

10. transitiveTo cover or shield something, or a portion of something, so as to prevent reproduction or to safeguard the surface from the colors used when working with an air brush or painting.

    Synonyms: mask off

11. transitivecomputingTo set or unset (certain bits, or binary digits, within a value) by means of a bitmask.

    That is, the lower nibble (the 4 bits 1010 = A) has been masked to zero. This is because ANDing anything with a zero produces a zero, while ANDing any bit with a 1 leaves the bit unchanged[…]

    1993, Richard E. Haskell, Introduction to computer engineering, page 287

12. transitivecomputingTo disable (an interrupt, etc.) by setting or unsetting the associated bit.

    Some hardware interrupts can be masked, or disabled; that is, the CPU is told to ignore them.

    1998, Rick Grehan, Robert Moote, Ingo Cyliax, Real-Time Programming: A Guide to 32-bit Embedded Development, page 199

plural masks

1. Mesh.
2. ScotlandUKdialectalThe mesh of a net; a net; net-bag.

plural masks

1. UKdialectalMash.

present singular third person masks · participle present masking · participle past masked · past masked

1. UKdialectaltransitiveTo mash.
2. UKdialectaltransitive(brewing) To mix malt with hot water to yield wort.
3. CumbriaDurhamGeordieNorthumbriaScotlanddialectaltransitiveTo be infused or steeped.
4. CumbriaDurhamGeordieNorthumbriaScotlandUKdialectalTo prepare tea in a teapot; alternative to brew.
5. Northern EnglandScotlandrarethe weather; a storm; etc; the weather; a storm; etcTo prepare (to storm).

   I saw the storm was masking fast, That soon wad fa' on me;[…]

   1839, Whistle-Binkie; or, the Piper of the party: a collection of songs for the social circle ... Second edition, enlarged. Edited by John D. Carrick, page 108

   2 more examples

   ... mirky cluds in the south-wast / Are masking up a blashy blast, ...

   1876, John Mactaggart, The Scottish Gallovidian encyclopedia, or, The ... curiosities of the south of Scotland, page 364

   The whislin' key hole o the door / Fou plainly tells a storm is maskin'.

   1900, J. Milne, Poems, section 43

present singular third person masks · participle present masking · participle past masked · past masked

1. UKdialectaltransitiveTo bewilder; confuse.