Mass

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Table of contents

1 Etymology 1 1.1 Noun 1.2 Derived terms 1.3 Intransitive verb 2 Etymology 2 2.1 Noun 2.2 Units 2.2.1 Translations 2.3 Derived expressions 2.4 Transitive verb 2.4.1 Translations

Etymology 1

Old English. masse, messe, Anglo Saxon mæsse. Late Latin missa, from Latin mittere, missum, to send, dismiss: compare French messe. In the ancient churches, the public services at which the catechumens were permitted to be present were called missa catechumenorum, ending with the reading of the Gospel. Then they were dismissed with these words : "Ite, missa est", the congregation is dismissed. After that the sacrifice proper began. At its close the same words were said to those who remained. So the word gave the name of Mass to the sacrifice in the Catholic Church. See Missile, and compare Christmas, Lammas, Mess a dish, Missal

Noun

mass

1. (Roman Catholic Church): The principal liturgical service of the Church, including a scripture service and a eucharistic service, which includes the consecration and oblation (offering) of the host and wine. Also called the Eucharist, Eucharistic sacrifice, divine liturgy, or Eucharistic liturgy. It is considered one of the seven sacraments.
2. (Music) The portions of the Mass usually set to music, considered as a musical composition. Traditionally these were divided into the parts that did not change (the Ordinary), and the parts that did change (the Proper). Most commonly a musical Mass contained the Ordinary, which included the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei. Compositions for funeral Masses included several additional Proper parts, such as the Dies Irae. Modern liturgical Masses since the Second Vatican Council also may include General Intercessions, Memorial Acclamation, and Great Amen.

Derived terms

• High Mass, Mass with incense, music, the assistance of a deacon, subdeacon, etc.
• Low Mass, Mass which is said by the priest through-out, without music
• Mass bell, the sanctus bell. See Sanctus
• Mass book, the missal or Roman Catholic service book.

Intransitive verb

to mass Imperfect and past participle: massed
Present participle: Massing

1. (Obsolete): To celebrate Mass - Hooker

Etymology 2

1. Old English masse, French masse, Latin massa akin to Greek a barley cake, from to knead. Compare macerate

Noun

mass

1. A quantity of matter cohering together so as to make one body, or an aggregation of particles or things which collectively make one body or quantity, usually of considerable size; as, a mass of ore, metal, sand, or water.

   Quotations

   • If it were not for these principles, the bodies of the earth, planets, comets, sun, and all things in them, would grow cold and freeze, and become inactive masses - Sir I. Newton
   • A deep mass of continual sea is slower stirred to rage - Savile

2. (Pharmacy): A medicinal substance made into a cohesive, homogeneous lump, of consistency suitable for making pills; as, blue mass.
3. A large quantity; a sum

   Quotations

   • All the mass of gold that comes into Spain - Sir W. Raleigh
   • He had spent a huge mass of treasure - Sir J. Davies

4. Bulk; magnitude; body; size

   Quotations

   • This army of such mass and charge - Shakespeare, Hamlet, IV,iv

5. The principal part; the main body.

   Quotations

   • Night closed upon the pursuit, and aided the mass of the fugitives in their escape - Jowett (Thucyd.)

6. (Physics): The quantity of matter which a body contains, irrespective of its bulk or volume. It is one of four fundamental properties of matter. It is measured in grams in the SI system of measurement.

   Note Mass and weight are often used, in a general way, as interchangeable terms, since the weight of a body is proportional to its mass (under the same or equal gravitative forces), and the mass is usually ascertained from the weight. Yet the two ideas, mass and weight, are quite distinct. Mass is the quantity of matter in a body; weight is the comparative force with which it tends towards the center of the earth. A mass of sugar and a mass of lead are assumed to be equal when they show an equal weight by balancing each other in the scales

7. (Medicine): a palpable or visible abnormal globular structure; a tumor

Units

• Customary: slugs, long ton (1.12 short tons), short ton (commonly used)
• Metric: gram (g), kilograms (kg), metric tons

Translations

• Breton: oferenn f -où (1-1), tolz m (2-1,6), bern m -ioù pl, tolzenn f -où pl (2-3)
• Dutch: massa f
• Arabic: كتلة
• Finnish: messu (1-1), massa (2-1,2,6)
• French: messe f (1), masse f (2)
• German: Masse f
• Indonesian: massa (1)
• Interlingua: massa (1)
• Japanese: 質量 (しつりょう, shitsuryō) (1)
• Polish: msza f (1-1,2), masa f (2-1,,6)
• Portuguese: massa f (1)
• Romanian: masă f
• Spanish: masa f
• Swedish: massa (1,2,6)

Derived expressions

• Blue mass. See under blue
• Mass center (Geometry): the center of gravity of a triangle

1. Mass copper, native copper in a large mass
2. Mass meeting, a large or general assembly of people, usually a meeting having some relation to politics
3. The masses, the great body of the people, as contrasted with the higher classes; the populace.

Transitive verb

to mass

1. To form or collect into a mass; to form into a collective body; to bring together into masses; to assemble.

   Quotations

   • But mass them together and they are terrible indeed - Coleridge

Translations

• Finnish: kerääntyä, kasaantua