Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

mace

1 American  
[meys] / meɪs /

noun

  1. a clublike armor-breaking weapon of war, often with a flanged or spiked metal head, used chiefly in the Middle Ages.

  2. a ceremonial staff carried before or by certain officials as a symbol of office.

  3. macebearer.

  4. Billiards. a light stick with a flat head, formerly used at times instead of a cue.

mace 2 American  
[meys] / meɪs /

noun

  1. a spice ground from the layer between a nutmeg shell and its outer husk, resembling nutmeg in flavor.

Mace 3 American  
[meys] / meɪs /
Trademark.

  1. Also called Chemical Mace.  a nonlethal spray containing purified tear gas and chemical solvents that temporarily incapacitate a person mainly by causing eye and skin irritations: used especially as a means of subduing rioters.

verb (used with object)

Maced, Macing

  1. (sometimes lowercase) to attack with Mace spray.

mace 1 British  
/ meɪs /

noun

  1. a club, usually having a spiked metal head, used esp in the Middle Ages

  2. a ceremonial staff of office carried by certain officials

  3. See macebearer

  4. an early form of billiard cue

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Mace 2 British  
/ meɪs /

noun

  1. a liquid causing tears and nausea, used as a spray for riot control, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr; sometimes not capital) to use Mace on

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
mace 3 British  
/ meɪs /

noun

  1. a spice made from the dried aril round the nutmeg seed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mace1

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French (compare French masse ) large mallet < Vulgar Latin *mattea; akin to Latin matteola kind of mallet; compare Sanskrit matya harrow

Origin of mace2

1350–1400; Middle English, back formation from macis (taken as plural) < Middle French < Latin maccis a spice

Origin of Mace3

1965–70; probably from mace 1 ( def. ) (in the sense “clublike weapon”)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They were mixed with the go-to expensive spices of the day: cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, ginger and sugar.

From Salon • Oct. 28, 2024

Evidence includes fishing-net weights; tools made of basalt, a stone that does not naturally occur along this part of the eastern Mediterranean coast; and a ceremonial mace head.

From Science Daily • Apr. 30, 2024

Beat until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, then beat in another ½ cup of the remaining flour plus the nutmeg, mace or cinnamon.

From Washington Times • Dec. 12, 2023

In the United States, we use static security: lockdowns, body armor, mace.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2023

He was swinging a ceremonial mace, and when we saw him, our whole party stood up and started clapping and cheering.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.