mass

mass
mass1 W2 [mæs] n
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
1¦(large amount)¦
2¦(crowd)¦
3 the masses
4 the mass of people/the population/workers etc
5¦(church ceremony)¦
6¦(science)¦
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Sense: 1-2,5-6; Date: 1300-1400; : French; Origin: masse, from Latin massa, from Greek maza]
[Sense: 3-4; Date: 800-900; : Vulgar Latin; Origin: missa 'sending away at the end of a religious service', from Latin mittere 'to send']
1.) ¦(LARGE AMOUNT)¦
a)
a large amount of a substance which does not have a definite or regular shape
▪ The food had congealed into a sticky mass.
mass of
▪ a high mass of rock
b) [C usually singular]
a large amount or quantity of something
mass of
▪ a huge mass of data
c) masses of sth
BrE informal a large amount of something, or a lot of people or things
▪ Masses of books covered every surface in the room.
2.) ¦(CROWD)¦ [singular]
a large crowd
mass of
▪ There was a mass of people around the club entrance.
▪ The road was blocked by a solid mass of protesters.
3.) the masses
all the ordinary people in society who do not have power or influence
▪ The trains provided cheap travel for the masses.
4.) the mass of people/the population/workers etc
most of the people in a group or society
= ↑the majority
▪ The war is strongly supported by the mass of the population.
5.) ¦(CHURCH CEREMONY)¦ also Mass
a) [U and C]
the main ceremony in some Christian churches, especially the Roman Catholic Church, which celebrates the last meal that Jesus Christ ate
▪ What time do you go to mass ?
morning/evening/midnight etc Mass
▪ Will I see you at morning Mass?
say/celebrate Mass
(=perform this ceremony as a priest)
→↑High Mass
b)
a piece of music written to be performed at the ceremony of mass
▪ Mozart's Mass in C minor
6.) ¦(SCIENCE)¦[U]
technical the amount of material in something
▪ The sun makes up 99.9% of the mass of our solar system.
mass 2
mass2 W3 adj [only before noun]
involving or intended for a very large number of people
▪ a mass protest
▪ weapons of mass destruction
▪ the problem of mass unemployment
mass marketing/entertainment etc
▪ a mass marketing campaign
▪ Email has made mass mailings possible at the touch of a button.
mass 3
mass3 v [I and T]
to come together, or to make people or things come together, in a large group
= ↑gather mass (sth) behind/along/in etc sth
▪ Western reports say that troops have been massing in the region since December.
▪ grey clouds massing behind the mountains
▪ Both countries have massed troops along the border.

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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Synonyms:
/ , , , / / / , , , / , , , , (in the Roman Catholic Church),


Look at other dictionaries:

  • mass — mass …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • Mass — Mass, n. [OE. masse, F. masse, L. massa; akin to Gr. ? a barley cake, fr. ? to knead. Cf. {Macerate}.] [1913 Webster] 1. A quantity of matter cohering together so as to make one body, or an aggregation of particles or things which collectively… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mass — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Para otros usos de este término, véase Mass (desambiguación). Tiendas Mass Logo Eslogan El Supermercado del Ahorro Fundación 2001 Sede Lima, Perú …   Wikipedia Español

  • Mass —     Pontifical Mass     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Pontifical Mass     Pontifical Mass is the solemn Mass celebrated by a bishop with the ceremonies prescribed in the Cæremoniale Episcoporum , I and II. The full ceremonial is carried out when the… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • mass — Ⅰ. mass UK US /mæs/ adjective [before noun] ► having an effect on or involving a large number of people: »There have been two decades of mass unemployment. mass audience/appeal »A smaller company could produce a breakthrough product with mass… …   Financial and business terms

  • Mass — (m[.a]s), n. [OE. masse, messe, AS. m[ae]sse. LL. missa, from L. mittere, missum, to send, dismiss: cf. F. messe. In the ancient churches, the public services at which the catechumens were permitted to be present were called missa catechumenorum …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mass — [mas] n. [ME masse < OFr < L massa, a lump, mass < Gr maza, barley cake < massein, to knead < IE base * menk , to knead > MINGLE] 1. a quantity of matter forming a body of indefinite shape and size, usually of relatively large… …   English World dictionary

  • Mass — ist: ein Theaterstück von Leonard Bernstein, siehe Mass (Theater) eine Messkomposition von Steve Dobrogosz, siehe Mass (Dobrogosz) die in Bayern übliche Kurzbezeichnung mit kurzem a für einen Masskrug Mass ist der Familienname folgender Personen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • mass — 1 n: an aggregation of usu. similar things (as assets in a succession) considered as a whole mass 2 adj: participated in by or affecting a large number of individuals mass insurance underwriting mass tort litigation Merriam Webster’s Dictionary… …   Law dictionary

  • mass — mass; mass·i·ness; soul·mass; mass·cult; mass·less; bio·mass; mass·less·ness; …   English syllables

  • Mass — [ mæs ] noun count or uncount a ceremony in the Christian Church, especially the Roman Catholic Church, in which Jesus Christ s last meal with his DISCIPLES is remembered: attend/hear Mass celebrate Mass (=perform the ceremony): The Pope will… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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