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massage

[ muh-sahzh, -sahj or, especially British, mas-ahzh ]
/ məˈsɑʒ, -ˈsɑdʒ or, especially British, ˈmæs ɑʒ /
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noun
the act or art of treating the body by rubbing, kneading, patting, or the like, to stimulate circulation, increase suppleness, relieve tension, etc.
Slang. attentive or indulgent treatment; pampering: ego massage.
verb (used with object), mas·saged, mas·sag·ing.
to treat by massage.
Slang. to treat with special care and attention; coddle or pamper: The store massages its regular customers with gifts and private sales.
Informal.
  1. to manipulate, maneuver, or handle skillfully: to massage a bill through the Senate.
  2. to manipulate, organize, or rearrange (data, figures, or the like) to produce a specific result, especially a favorable one: The auditors discovered that the company had massaged the books.
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Origin of massage

1875–80; <French, equivalent to mass(er) to massage (<Arabic massa to handle) + -age-age

OTHER WORDS FROM massage

mas·sag·er, mas·sag·ist, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH massage

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

Words related to massage

caress, pat, rub, beating, manipulation, stroking, manipulate, press, push, rolf, stimulate, rub down

How to use massage in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for massage

massage
/ (ˈmæsɑːʒ, -sɑːdʒ) /
noun
the act of kneading, rubbing, etc, parts of the body to promote circulation, suppleness, or relaxation
verb (tr)
to give a massage to
to treat (stiffness, aches, etc) by a massage
to manipulate (statistics, data, etc) so that they appear to support a particular interpretation or to be better than they are; doctor
massage someone's ego to boost someone's sense of self-esteem by flattery

Derived forms of massage

massager or massagist, noun

Word Origin for massage

C19: from French, from masser to rub; see mass
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
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