Massaging

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Applying pressure and rubbing muscles and soft tissues to relieve tension or pain
2. Using hands or tools to press, rub, or knead the body to promote relaxation or healing
3. Manipulating muscles and soft tissues by rubbing and pressure to ease discomfort or improve circulation

Etymology: The English noun "massage" arrived in the late 1700s from French, but the French verb "masser" it grew from is probably tied to an Arabic verb meaning "to touch" or "to feel." The Arabic root, "massa," is the likely ancestor, though a Portuguese source, "amassar" (to knead dough or gather together), is also proposed. The two candidates are not fully settled, and the Arabic link is the more commonly favored one. The French noun "massage" was formed by adding the suffix "-age" to "masser," producing a word for the act of kneading or rubbing. English borrowed it around the end of the eighteenth century, when the practice of manipulating the body by hand was spreading through European medicine and spa culture. The German "massieren" is a close relative, built on the same French source. The word "massaging" is simply the form used for the ongoing action of rubbing or kneading tense muscles, drawn from the verb "massage." Its history is the same as the noun's, so the verb form adds no separate story of its own.

Synonyms: kneading, stroking