massé

American  

[ma-sey, mas-ee] / mæˈseɪ, ˈmæs i /

noun

Billiards.

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

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massé British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of massé

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

Example Sentences

Like others, Masse has seen job searches stretch longer.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 21, 2025

The women’s 100m backstroke at 19:57 is expected to feature Australia’s Kaylee McKeown, a three-time champion in Tokyo, against the likes of American Regan Smith and Canada’s Kylie Masse.

From BBC • Jul. 24, 2024

McIntosh and Masse also claimed silvers in the 400 free and 100 backstroke, respectively.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 24, 2022

Regan Smith got another gold for the United States in the women’s 100 backstroke, clocking 58.22 to finish 0.18 ahead of Canadian rival Kylie Masse with another American, Claire Curzan, finishing third.

From Washington Times • Jun. 20, 2022

E. M. Masse, a French traveler and writer, in his work "L'Isle de Cuba et la Havane" describes the quarters in which they were lodged.

From The History of Cuba, vol. 2 by Johnson, Willis Fletcher