Mask

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /mɑːsk/

Definitions

1. A covering worn over the face to hide or protect it ; a means of hiding true identity or feelings ; a device used to shield the wearer from harmful substances ; a cosmetic applied to improve or alter the appearance of the skin
2. An item placed on the face to obscure it or offer protection ; something used to conceal one’s real emotions or intentions ; equipment designed to guard against hazards ; a facial treatment intended to cleanse or beautify
3. A facial covering used for disguise or safety ; an outward appearance that hides true nature or thoughts ; protective gear worn over the mouth and nose ; a beauty product spread on the skin to enhance or treat it

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "mask" is that it is a doublet of "mesh" and "mash": all three descend from one Proto-West Germanic word, *maskā, meaning "mesh, netting." A mask, in the sense of a face covering, was once a thing you looked through rather than hid behind, like a net or screen. The English word for a face covering was actually grīma, from which "grime" descends; "mask" arrived later as a loan from French. That French word, masque, came from Italian maschera, meaning "mask" or "disguise," and reached Italian through Medieval Latin masca. Its ancestry runs back to the Germanic netting word, so the same root sits behind a fishing net, a kitchen mash, and a theatrical disguise. English also had a separate verb, "to mask," which was short for a Middle English form meaning "to bewilder, be confused, or wander." Over time the verb and noun senses merged in English use, so a mask now both hides a face and, as a verb, conceals or disguises something.

Synonyms: face covering, disguise, veil, shield, screen

Antonyms: reveal, uncover