"masque" meaning in English

See masque in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /mæsk/ [General-American, UK], /mɑːsk/ [Received-Pronunciation] Audio: en-us-mask.ogg Forms: masques [plural]
Rhymes: -æsk, -ɑːsk Etymology: Unadapted borrowing from French masque. Doublet of mask and mesh. Etymology templates: {{ubor|en|fr|masque}} Unadapted borrowing from French masque, {{dbt|en|mask|mesh}} Doublet of mask and mesh Head templates: {{en-noun}} masque (plural masques)
  1. (historical, in 16th- and 17th-century England and Europe) A dramatic performance, often performed at court as a royal entertainment, consisting of dancing, dialogue, pantomime and song. Tags: historical
    Sense id: en-masque-en-noun-FSTvW45u
  2. Words and music written for a masque.
    Sense id: en-masque-en-noun-PNvKZ7x3
  3. A masquerade.
    Sense id: en-masque-en-noun-oX3L-FSi
  4. Obsolete spelling of mask. Tags: alt-of, obsolete Alternative form of: mask
    Sense id: en-masque-en-noun-vZ6Thdka
  5. A facial mask.
    Sense id: en-masque-en-noun-j2bUitSk Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 6 entries, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 27 2 2 2 60 6 Disambiguation of Pages with 6 entries: 7 1 1 1 15 1 1 0 8 4 12 2 17 12 2 12 2 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 7 1 1 1 18 1 0 0 9 4 14 1 12 14 1 14 1
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: antimasque

Verb

IPA: /mæsk/ [General-American, UK], /mɑːsk/ [Received-Pronunciation] Audio: en-us-mask.ogg Forms: masques [present, singular, third-person], masquing [participle, present], masqued [participle, past], masqued [past]
Rhymes: -æsk, -ɑːsk Etymology: Unadapted borrowing from French masque. Doublet of mask and mesh. Etymology templates: {{ubor|en|fr|masque}} Unadapted borrowing from French masque, {{dbt|en|mask|mesh}} Doublet of mask and mesh Head templates: {{en-verb}} masque (third-person singular simple present masques, present participle masquing, simple past and past participle masqued)
  1. Archaic spelling of mask. Tags: alt-of, archaic Alternative form of: mask Derived forms: unmasque
    Sense id: en-masque-en-verb-6K9Wzlug

Inflected forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "antimasque"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "masque"
      },
      "expansion": "Unadapted borrowing from French masque",
      "name": "ubor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mask",
        "3": "mesh"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of mask and mesh",
      "name": "dbt"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Unadapted borrowing from French masque. Doublet of mask and mesh.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "masques",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "masque (plural masques)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              101,
              107
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XIX, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 221:",
          "text": "\"I think,\" said Anne to Madame de Mercœur, \"we must obtain your protégée's services for our intended masque; however, I shall leave that to you young people to settle,\" turning to Louis as she spoke.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A dramatic performance, often performed at court as a royal entertainment, consisting of dancing, dialogue, pantomime and song."
      ],
      "id": "en-masque-en-noun-FSTvW45u",
      "links": [
        [
          "performance",
          "performance"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(historical, in 16th- and 17th-century England and Europe) A dramatic performance, often performed at court as a royal entertainment, consisting of dancing, dialogue, pantomime and song."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "in 16th- and 17th-century England and Europe"
      ],
      "tags": [
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      "categories": [],
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          "bold_text_offsets": [
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            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2010 April 9, Glyn Maxwell, “WH Auden's ‘The Age of Anxiety’”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "Over six sections – a prologue, a life-story, a dream-quest, a dirge, a masque and an epilogue – they meditate on their lives, their hopes, their losses, and on the human condition.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Words and music written for a masque."
      ],
      "id": "en-masque-en-noun-PNvKZ7x3"
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              170,
              177
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 184:",
          "text": "The game of pretence is enhanced by dressing-up, and it is natural for a child to copy some grown-up hero. The game was also played by all those people who have attended masques and fancy-dress parties and by Marie-Antoinette when she played at being a milkmaid, it is only the fashion which had altered.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A masquerade."
      ],
      "id": "en-masque-en-noun-oX3L-FSi",
      "links": [
        [
          "masquerade",
          "masquerade"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "alt_of": [
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          "word": "mask"
        }
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      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "Obsolete spelling of mask."
      ],
      "id": "en-masque-en-noun-vZ6Thdka",
      "links": [
        [
          "mask",
          "mask#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "obsolete"
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    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "27 2 2 2 60 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 1 1 1 15 1 1 0 8 4 12 2 17 12 2 12 2",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 6 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 1 1 1 18 1 0 0 9 4 14 1 12 14 1 14 1",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
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      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              4,
              10
            ],
            [
              17,
              23
            ]
          ],
          "text": "mud masque; clay masque",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A facial mask."
      ],
      "id": "en-masque-en-noun-j2bUitSk",
      "links": [
        [
          "facial mask",
          "facial mask"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/mæsk/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American",
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-mask.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/63/En-us-mask.ogg/En-us-mask.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/En-us-mask.ogg"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/mɑːsk/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-æsk"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɑːsk"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "mask"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "masc stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn"
    }
  ],
  "word": "masque"
}

{
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "masque"
      },
      "expansion": "Unadapted borrowing from French masque",
      "name": "ubor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mask",
        "3": "mesh"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of mask and mesh",
      "name": "dbt"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Unadapted borrowing from French masque. Doublet of mask and mesh.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "masques",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "masquing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "masqued",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "masqued",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
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  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
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      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "mask"
        }
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      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "unmasque"
        }
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            [
              11,
              18
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1924, Herman Melville, chapter 16, in Billy Budd, London: Constable & Co.:",
          "text": "It is even masqued by that sort of good-humoured air that at heart he resents his impressment.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
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        "Archaic spelling of mask."
      ],
      "id": "en-masque-en-verb-6K9Wzlug",
      "links": [
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          "mask",
          "mask#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "archaic"
      ]
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      "tags": [
        "General-American",
        "UK"
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      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/63/En-us-mask.ogg/En-us-mask.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/En-us-mask.ogg"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/mɑːsk/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-æsk"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɑːsk"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "mask"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "masc stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn"
    }
  ],
  "word": "masque"
}
{
  "categories": [
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    "English doublets",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms borrowed from French",
    "English terms derived from French",
    "English terms with homophones",
    "English unadapted borrowings from French",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 6 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/æsk",
    "Rhymes:English/æsk/1 syllable",
    "Rhymes:English/ɑːsk",
    "Rhymes:English/ɑːsk/1 syllable"
  ],
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      "word": "antimasque"
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        "3": "masque"
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  "etymology_text": "Unadapted borrowing from French masque. Doublet of mask and mesh.",
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      "tags": [
        "plural"
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              101,
              107
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          "text": "\"I think,\" said Anne to Madame de Mercœur, \"we must obtain your protégée's services for our intended masque; however, I shall leave that to you young people to settle,\" turning to Louis as she spoke.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
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        "A dramatic performance, often performed at court as a royal entertainment, consisting of dancing, dialogue, pantomime and song."
      ],
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      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "in 16th- and 17th-century England and Europe"
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      "tags": [
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          "bold_text_offsets": [
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              72,
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          "ref": "2010 April 9, Glyn Maxwell, “WH Auden's ‘The Age of Anxiety’”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "Over six sections – a prologue, a life-story, a dream-quest, a dirge, a masque and an epilogue – they meditate on their lives, their hopes, their losses, and on the human condition.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Words and music written for a masque."
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              170,
              177
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 184:",
          "text": "The game of pretence is enhanced by dressing-up, and it is natural for a child to copy some grown-up hero. The game was also played by all those people who have attended masques and fancy-dress parties and by Marie-Antoinette when she played at being a milkmaid, it is only the fashion which had altered.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A masquerade."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "masquerade",
          "masquerade"
        ]
      ]
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          "word": "mask"
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      "categories": [
        "English obsolete forms"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Obsolete spelling of mask."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "mask",
          "mask#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "obsolete"
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      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              4,
              10
            ],
            [
              17,
              23
            ]
          ],
          "text": "mud masque; clay masque",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A facial mask."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "facial mask",
          "facial mask"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/mæsk/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American",
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-mask.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/63/En-us-mask.ogg/En-us-mask.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/En-us-mask.ogg"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/mɑːsk/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-æsk"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɑːsk"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "mask"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "masc stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn"
    }
  ],
  "word": "masque"
}

{
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    "English doublets",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms borrowed from French",
    "English terms derived from French",
    "English terms with homophones",
    "English unadapted borrowings from French",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 6 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/æsk",
    "Rhymes:English/æsk/1 syllable",
    "Rhymes:English/ɑːsk",
    "Rhymes:English/ɑːsk/1 syllable"
  ],
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      "word": "unmasque"
    }
  ],
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        "3": "masque"
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    },
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        "2": "mask",
        "3": "mesh"
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      "expansion": "Doublet of mask and mesh",
      "name": "dbt"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Unadapted borrowing from French masque. Doublet of mask and mesh.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "masques",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "masquing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "masqued",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "masqued",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {},
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  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "mask"
        }
      ],
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        "English archaic forms",
        "English terms with quotations"
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              18
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          "text": "It is even masqued by that sort of good-humoured air that at heart he resents his impressment.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
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        "Archaic spelling of mask."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "mask",
          "mask#English"
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        "archaic"
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      "tags": [
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        "UK"
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    },
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      "audio": "en-us-mask.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/63/En-us-mask.ogg/En-us-mask.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/En-us-mask.ogg"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/mɑːsk/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-æsk"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɑːsk"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "mask"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "masc stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn"
    }
  ],
  "word": "masque"
}

Download raw JSONL data for masque meaning in English (6.2kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-02-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-01-01 using wiktextract (f492ef9 and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.