Added 1 October 2026
mass
/mæs/ noun
In Latin: mōlēs Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about mass at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Matter, material. A quantity of matter cohering so as to make one body, or an aggregation of particles or things which collectively make one body or quantity, usually of considerable size. Precious metal, especially gold or silver. A measure of the inertia of a mass of matter, one of four fundamental properties of matter. SI unit of mass: kilogram. A medicinal substance made into a cohesive, homogeneous lump, of consistency suitable for making pills.
blue mass
- A quantity of matter cohering so as to make one body, or an aggregation of particles or things which collectively make one body or quantity, usually of considerable size.
- Precious metal, especially gold or silver.
verb
adjective
noun
Origin
In late Middle English (circa 1400) as masse in the sense of "lump, quantity of matter", from Anglo-Norman masse, in Old French attested from the 11th century, via late Latin massa (“lump, dough”), from Ancient Greek μᾶζα (mâza, “barley-cake, lump (of dough)”). The Greek noun may be derived from the verb μάσσω (mássō, “to knead”), ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European *maǵ- (“to oil, knead”), although this is uncertain. Doublet of masa. The sense of "a large number or quantity" arises circa 1580. The scientific sense is from 1687 (as Latin massa) in the works of Isaac Newton, with the first English use (as mass) occurring in 1704.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)