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

macdiarmid, macdonald, macdonnell ranges, macdonough, macdowell, 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

Medicine definitions for mace

Mace

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