Masque
/mæsk/noun
A lavish, costumed court entertainment featuring music, dance, and dramatic spectacle.
Did you know?The word comes through French and Italian from a root meaning “mask,” and these court spectacles were so tied to disguise and symbolism that they often blurred art, politics, and ritual.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
masque
“a masked entertainment or revel”
Middle French
French
masque
“mask; masked performance”
Italian
Italian
maschera
“mask”
Medieval Latin
Latin
masca
“mask; specter; witch (in some regional usage)”
Germanic substrate / uncertain
?
*mask-
“an uncertain earlier source behind the word for a mask”
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