mass
Cross references:
1. bulk
1. mass \'mas\ n [ME, fr. OE msse, modif. of (assumed) VL messa, lit.,
dism]issal at the end of a religious service, fr. LL missa, fr. L, fem. of
missus, pp. of mittere to send - more at SMITE cap 1: a sequence of
prayers and ceremonies forming the eucharistic office esp. of the Latin
rite often cap 2: a celebration of the Eucharist 3: a musical setting for
the ordinary of the mass
2. mass n [ME masse, fr. MF, fr. L massa, fr. Gk maza; akin to Gk ma]ssein
to knead - more at MINGLE 1a: a quantity or aggregate of matter usu. of
considerable size 1b1: EXPANSE, BULK 1b2: MASSIVENESS 1b3: the principal
part or main body 1b4: AGGREGATE, WHOLE {men in the ~} 1c: the property
of a body that is a measure of its inertia, that is common ly taken as a
measure of the amount of material it contains, that causes a body to have
weight in a gravitational field, and that along with length and time
constitutes one of the fundamental quantities on which all physical
measurements are based 2: a large quantity, amount, or number {a great ~ of
material} 3a: a large body of persons in a compact group : a body of
persons regard ed as an aggregate 3b: the body of people as contrasted with
the elite - usu. used in pl.
3. mass vb : to form or collect into a mass
4. mass aj 1a: of or relating to the mass of the people {~ market ~ edu
cation} 1b: participated in by or affecting a large number of individuals
{~)R destruction ~ demonstrations} 1c: LARGE-SCALE, WHOLESALE {~
production} 2: viewed as a whole : TOTAL