mace

[ meys ]

/ meɪs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mace ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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

macebearer.

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

RELATED WORDS

baton, club, staff, rod, spice, mallet

Nearby words

macdonough, macdonough, thomas, macdowell, macdowell, edward alexander, macduff, mace, macebearer, maced., macedoine, macedon, macedonia

Origin of mace

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

Definition for mace (2 of 3)

mace

[ meys ]

/ meɪs /

noun

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

Origin of mace

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

Definition for mace (3 of 3)

Mace

[ meys ]

/ meɪs /

Trademark.

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, Mac·ing.

(sometimes lowercase) to attack with Mace spray.

Origin of Mace

1965–70; probably from mace¹ (in the sense “clublike weapon”)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mace

Some later claimed that a cop shook a can of mace, an uncalled for act of aggravation, one man said.
Ferguson Protesters Harass Black Police, Call for Darren Wilson’s Death|Justin Glawe|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jaime was taught to fight with sword and lance and mace, and I was taught to smile and sing and please.
The Abused Wives of Westeros: A Song of Feminism in ‘Game of Thrones’|Amy Zimmerman|April 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1988, producer Mace Neufeld approached Costner about The Hunt for Red October.
Are We in the Midst of a Kevin Costner Comeback?|Andrew Romano|January 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Larson told Bundermann that they needed cover fire before they could make a run for it and try to bring Mace to the Aid Station.
Ty Carter Awarded Medal of Honor|David Eisler, Jake Tapper|August 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST

He opened the back door of the Humvee, where Mace was trying ease himself out.
Ty Carter Awarded Medal of Honor|David Eisler, Jake Tapper|August 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
From the island of Banda, and from other islands, nutmeg and mace.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898|Emma Helen Blair
Waving his mace as an emblem of authority, Jack Nagle, the policeman, ran towards the old soldier.
Watch Yourself Go By|Al. G. Field
Clear the gravy from the fat, and put into it four ounces of boiled rice, an onion stuck with cloves, and a blade of mace.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,|Mary Eaton
In post-Vedic times he presided over a complicated system of Hells; he was Dandadhara, “the wielder of the rod or mace”.
Indian Myth and Legend|Donald Alexander Mackenzie
Bagatelle, a game played on a long flat board covered with cloth like a billiard-table, with spherical balls and a cue or mace.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for mace (1 of 3)

mace

/ (meɪs) /

noun

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

a ceremonial staff of office carried by certain officials

See macebearer

an early form of billiard cue

Word Origin for mace

C13: from Old French, probably from Vulgar Latin mattea (unattested); apparently related to Latin mateola mallet

British Dictionary definitions for mace (2 of 3)

mace

/ (meɪs) /

noun

a spice made from the dried aril round the nutmeg seed

Word Origin for mace

C14: formed as a singular from Old French macis (wrongly assumed to be plural), from Latin macir an oriental spice

British Dictionary definitions for mace (3 of 3)

Mace

/ (meɪs) US /

noun

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

verb

(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

Word Origin and History for mace (1 of 3)

mace

n.1

"heavy metal weapon, often with a spiked head," late 13c., from Old French mace "a club, scepter" (Modern French masse), from Vulgar Latin *mattea (cf. Italian mazza, Spanish maza "mace"), from Latin mateola (in Late Latin also matteola) "a kind of mallet." The Latin word perhaps is cognate with Sanskrit matyam "harrow, club," Old Church Slavonic motyka "mattock," Old High German medela "plow" [Klein]. As a symbol of authority or office from mid-15c.

Word Origin and History for mace (1 of 3)

mace

n.2

"spice made from dry outer husk of nutmeg," late 14c., from Old French macis (in English taken as a plural and stripped of its -s), of uncertain origin, sometimes said to be a scribal error for Latin macir, the name of a red spicy bark from India, but OED finds this etymology unlikely.

Word Origin and History for mace (2 of 3)

Mace

n.3

chemical spray originally used in riot control, 1966, technically Chemical Mace, a proprietary name (General Ordnance Equipment Corp, Pittsburgh, Pa.), probably so called for its use as a weapon, in reference to mace (1). The verb is first attested 1968. Related: Maced; macing.

Medicine definitions for mace

Mace

An alternate trademark for Chemical Mace, an aerosol used to immobilize an attacker temporarily.