mask

I. noun Etymology: Middle French masque, from Old Italian maschera Date: 1534 1. a. (1) a cover or partial cover for the face used for disguise (2) a person wearing a mask ; masker b. (1) a figure of a head worn on the stage in antiquity to identify the character and project the voice (2) a grotesque false face worn at carnivals or in rituals c. an often grotesque carved head or face used as an ornament (as on a keystone) d. a sculptured face or a copy of a face made by means of a mold 2. a. something that serves to conceal or disguise ; pretense, cloak <

aware of the masks, facades and defenses people erect to protect themselves — Kenneth Keniston

> b. something that conceals from view c. a translucent or opaque screen to cover part of the sensitive surface in taking or printing a photograph d. a pattern of opaque material used to shield selected areas of a surface (as of a semiconductor) in deposition or etching (as in producing an integrated circuit) 3. a. a protective covering for the face b. gas mask c. a device covering the mouth and nose to facilitate inhalation d. a comparable device to prevent exhalation of infective material e. a cosmetic preparation for the skin of the face that produces a tightening effect as it dries 4. a. the head or face of an animal (as a fox or dog) b. an area (as the one around the eyes) of an animal's face that is distinguished by usually darker coloring II. verb Date: circa 1562 intransitive verb 1. to take part in a masquerade 2. a. to assume a mask b. to disguise one's true character or intentions transitive verb 1. to provide or conceal with a mask: as a. to conceal from view <

mask a gun battery

> b. to make indistinct or imperceptible <

masks undesirable flavors

> c. to cover up <

masked his real purpose

> 2. to cover for protection 3. to modify the size or shape of (as a photograph) by means of an opaque border Synonyms: see disguise • masklike adjective