masque

or mask

[ mask, mahsk ]

/ mæsk, mɑsk /

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noun

a form of aristocratic entertainment in England in the 16th and 17th centuries, originally consisting of pantomime and dancing but later including dialogue and song, presented in elaborate productions given by amateur and professional actors.

a dramatic composition for such entertainment.

a masquerade; masked ball; revel.

mask (def. 14).

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Origin of masque

From Middle French, dating back to 1505–15; see origin at mask

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH masque

mask, masque , mosque

Words nearby masque

Masorete, Masoretic, Maspero, mas. pil., Masqat, masque, masquer, masquerade, mass, massa, Massachuset

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use masque in a sentence

In nearby San Francisco, moviegoers packed sold-out theaters “en masse and also en masque,” as the San Francisco Chronicle put it.
People Longing for Movie Theaters During the 1918 Flu Pandemic Feels Very Familiar in 2021|Olivia B. Waxman|March 4, 2021|Time
Masque of the Red Death was the second-to-last Poe film I made.
Roger Corman: My Nine Most Memorable Films, From ‘The Trip’ to ‘Battle Beyond the Stars’|Roger Corman|December 16, 2011|DAILY BEAST
V.S. Naipaul's new book, The Masque of Africa, has not been well received by critics.
The Best of Brit Lit|Peter Stothard|October 7, 2010|DAILY BEAST
No doubt this was due to the nature of the media in which he mainly worked, the masque and the 138 song-book.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 2|Various

The lovely "nocturne" of the evening plain had passed into a Vision or Masque of Force that captured the mind.
Marriage la mode|Mrs. Humphry Ward
It is needless to add, that they were young ladies habited as peasants, and that there was a masque at the chateau.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808|Lt-Col. Pinkney
He made his Masque what it ought to be, essentially lyrical, and dramatic only in semblance.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume XIII|John Lord
This dance or “masque proper,” often elaborated into several measures, came near the end of the show.
How Shakspere Came to Write the Tempest|Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for masque

masque

mask

/ (mɑːsk) /

noun

a dramatic entertainment of the 16th to 17th centuries in England, consisting of pantomime, dancing, dialogue, and song, often performed at court

the words and music written for a masque

short for masquerade

Word Origin for masque

C16: variant of mask

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

masque

or mask

Origin of masque

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH masque

Words nearby masque

Words related to masque

How to use masque in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for masque

mask

Word Origin for masque