1
capitalized
: the liturgy of the Eucharist (see eucharist sense 1) especially in accordance with the traditional Latin rite (see rite sense 1)
2
often capitalized
: a celebration of the Eucharist (see eucharist sense 1)
Sunday masses held at three different hours
3
: a musical setting for the ordinary of the Mass
Bach's Mass in B Minor
1
a
: a quantity or aggregate of matter usually of considerable size
c
: the property of a body that is a measure of its inertia and that is commonly taken as a measure of the amount of material it contains and causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
2
: a large quantity, amount, or number
a mass of material
3
a
: a large body of persons in a group
a mass of spectators
b
: the great body of the people as contrasted with the elite
—often used in plural
the underprivileged and disadvantaged masses—C. A. Buss
massed; massing; masses
: to form or collect into a mass
: to assemble in a mass
three thousand students had massed in the plaza—A. E. Neville
1
a
: of or relating to the mass of the people
mass market
b
: participated in by or affecting a large number of individuals
mass destruction
c
: having a large-scale character
mass plantings of tulips
2
: viewed as a whole : total
the mass effect of a design
Cite this Entry
“Mass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mass. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.
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