Masque

/mæsk/ · noun

Meaning

(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..

Definitions by Sense

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.
2. Words and music written for a masque.
3. A masquerade.
4. Obsolete spelling of mask.
5. A facial mask.
6. Archaic spelling of mask.

Example Sentences

"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.

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.

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.

mud masque; clay masque

It is even masqued by that sort of good-humoured air that at heart he resents his impressment.

Synonyms for masque

Antonyms for masque

Related Words

Word Forms

• masques
• masquing
• masqued

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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