massé

[ma-sey, mas-ee]

noun

Billiards.

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

massé

/ ˈmæsɪ /

noun

1. 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of massé¹

1870–75; < French: literally, hammered, i.e., struck from above, straight down, equivalent to masse sledge hammer ( Old French mace; mace ¹ ) + -é -ee

Word History and Origins

Origin of massé¹

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

Example Sentences

Federal employees are fired en masse, and then begrudgingly rehired piecemeal under court order.

From Salon

But Okamura's call for Ukrainian refugees to be deported en masse will likely fall on deaf ears.

From BBC

In turn, anonymous bigots on 4chan organized a “Clog the Toilet” operation, jacking up the costs of returning flights from India by registering en masse for seats but stalling just before checkout.

From Slate

If you spent your Wednesday absorbing thousands of posts on Bluesky—as I did, for whatever reason—it would be difficult to make an honest case that the platform’s users were celebrating en masse.

From Slate

Consumers were happy to support someone who they felt welcomed by, even through the television screen, and lined up at book signings, cookware launches and restaurant openings en masse for a chance to meet their favorite chef.

From Salon