MASS - Definition & Meaning for Kids
Meaning 1
Part of speech: Verb
join together into a mass or collect or form a mass
Example: Crowds were massing outside the palace
Categories: Crowd, Crowd together
Meaning 2
Part of speech: Noun
an ill-structured collection of similar things (objects or people)
Categories: Collection, Aggregation, Accumulation, Assemblage
Meaning 3
Part of speech: Noun
(Roman Catholic Church and Protestant Churches) the celebration of the Eucharist
Categories: Religious ceremony, Religious ritual
Meaning 4
Part of speech: Noun
a body of matter without definite shape
Example: a huge ice mass
Categories: Body
Meaning 5
Part of speech: Noun
a musical setting for a Mass
Example: they played a Mass composed by Beethoven
Categories: Religious music, Church music
Meaning 6
Part of speech: Noun
a sequence of prayers constituting the Christian Eucharistic rite
Example: the priest said Mass
Categories: Prayer
Synonyms
Great deal, Tidy sum, Sight, Mickle, Heap
🌱 Word Origin (Etymology)
The word "mass" comes from Latin mittere. It started in Late Latin missa. Then it appeared in Vulgar Latin *messa. Later, people used it in Old French messe. After that, it was Old English mæsse. Over time, it became Middle English messe. Finally, it reached Proto-Indo-European *maǵ-. It started in Ancient Greek μᾶζα. Then it appeared in Latin massa. Later, people used it in Anglo-Norman masse. Many other languages have similar words:.
- Dutch: mis
- German: Messe
- Danish: messe
- Swedish: mässa
- Icelandic: messa
🔗 Related Words
masa – A related word in the same word family.
mass – A related word in the same word family.
mission – A related word in the same word family.
🧩 Fun Fact
This word's path shows how empires, trade, and scholarship spread vocabulary across continents.