mace

[meys]

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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.

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

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

mace

[meys]

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

Mace

[meys]

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

Related Words for mace

baton, club, staff, rod, spice, mallet

Examples from the Web for mace

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of mace

In China, he is often represented with a mace (symbolizing a thunderbolt) instead of a sword.
The Chinese Fairy Book
Various
If you are told to use cloves, and have none, a bit of mace may be substituted.
Culture and Cooking
Catherine Owen
Slice to these the crumb of four small rolls, and then strain to it three quarts of good veal gravy, boiled with 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
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
Having cleaned them nicely, rub every part well with a seasoning of white pepper and salt, mace and allspice in fine powder.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for mace

mace

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

mace

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

Mace

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

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.

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.

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.

mace in Medicine

Mace

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