massé

[ ma-sey or, especially British, mas-ee ]

See synonyms for: masses on Thesaurus.com

nounBilliards.

a stroke made by hitting the cue ball with the cue held almost or quite perpendicular to the table.

Origin of massé

1870–75; <French: literally, hammered, i.e., struck from above, straight down, equivalent to masse sledge hammer (Old French mace;see mace¹) + -é-ee

Also called massé shot .

Words Nearby massé

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

How to use massé in a sentence

They pulled up in unmarked cars and on motorcycles, appearing en masse out of the darkness.
Eric Garner Protests: ‘It’s Like Vietnam’ | Abby Haglage, Caitlin Dickson, Jacob Siegel, Chris Allbritton | December 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Internet cool kids are, of course, rallying against Swift en masse.
Death of the Author by Viral Infection: In Defense of Taylor Swift, Digital Doomsayer | Arthur Chu | December 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But if word of the mission reached the city, there was a risk that the hostages would be executed en masse.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis | Nina Strochlic | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
For women who are attacked en masse, this new reporting system will save substantial time and energy.
If Twitter Won’t Handle Its Massive Harassment Problem, These Women Will | Samantha Allen | November 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Editors were apoplectic, and they showed it by quitting en masse, leaving Mays to pick up the pieces.
It Was All a Dream: Drama, Bullshit, and the Rebirth of The Source Magazine | Alex Suskind | October 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

The company, expecting a scene, rose en masse to their feet, while those in the inner room crowded to the front.
The Garret and the Garden | R.M. Ballantyne
On more than one occasion they have taken up some cause en masse, and have gathered in thousands, determined to have their way.
Spanish Life in Town and Country | L. Higgin and Eugne E. Street
The experience of human affairs when looked at en masse, must be in accordance with it if true, or repugnant to it if false.
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive | John Stuart Mill
The result of such desultory visits would be exactly what has been noticed, but erroneously attributed to immigration en masse.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 5 | Hubert Howe Bancroft
Then he speaks of the inhabitants as being, 'taken en masse, steeped to the eyelids in immorality.'
Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No 3, September 1863 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for massé

massé

mass shot

/ (ˈmæsɪ) /

noun

billiards a stroke made by hitting the cue ball off centre with the cue held nearly vertically, esp so as to make the ball move in a curve around another ball before hitting the object ball

Origin of massé

C19: from French, from masser to hit from above with a hammer, from masse sledgehammer, from Old French mace mace 1

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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