Mass also mass (m?s)n.1. a. Public celebration of the Eucharist in the Roman Catholic Church and some Protestant churches.b. The sacrament of the Eucharist.2. A musical setting of certain parts of the Mass, especially the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei.[Middle English masse, from Old English mæsse, from Vulgar Latin *messa, from Late Latin missa, from Latin, feminine past participle of mittere, to send away, dismiss.]mass (m?s)n.1. A unified body of matter with no specific shape: a mass of clay.2. A grouping of individual parts or elements that compose a unified body of unspecified size or quantity: “Take mankind in mass, and for the most part, they seem a mob of unnecessary duplicates” (Herman Melville).3. A large but nonspecific amount or number: a mass of bruises.4. A lump or aggregate of coherent material: a cancerous mass.5. The principal part; the majority: the mass of the continent.6. The physical volume or bulk of a solid body.7. Abbr. m Physics A property of matter equal to the measure of the amount of matter contained in or constituting a physical body that partly determines the body’s resistance to changes in the speed or direction of its motion. The mass of an object is not dependent on gravity and therefore is different from but proportional to its weight.8. An area of unified light, shade, or color in a painting.9. Pharmacology A thick, pasty mixture containing drugs from which pills are formed.10. masses The body of common people or people of low socioeconomic status: “Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” (Emma Lazarus).tr. & intr.v. massed, mass·ing, mass·es To gather or be gathered into a mass.adj.1. Of, relating to, characteristic of, directed at, or attended by a large number of people: mass education; mass communication.2. Done or carried out on a large scale: mass production.3. Total; complete: The mass result is impressive.[Middle English masse, from Old French, from Latin massa, from Greek m?za, maza; see mag- in Indo-European roots.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.mass (mæs) n1. a large coherent body of matter without a definite shape2. a collection of the component parts of something3. a large amount or number, such as a great body of people4. the main part or majority: the mass of the people voted against the government’s policy. 5. in the mass in the main; collectively6. the size of a body; bulk7. (General Physics) physics a physical quantity expressing the amount of matter in a body. It is a measure of a body’s resistance to changes in velocity (inertial mass) and also of the force experienced in a gravitational field (gravitational mass): according to the theory of relativity, inertial and gravitational masses are equal. See also inertial mass, gravitational mass8. (Art Terms) (in painting, drawing, etc) an area of unified colour, shade, or intensity, usually denoting a solid form or plane9. (Pharmacology) pharmacol a pastelike composition of drugs from which pills are made10. (Mining & Quarrying) mining an irregular deposit of ore not occurring in veinsmodifier11. done or occurring on a large scale: mass hysteria; mass radiography. 12. consisting of a mass or large number, esp of people: a mass meeting. vbto form (people or things) or (of people or things) to join together into a mass: the crowd massed outside the embassy. [C14: from Old French masse, from Latin massa that which forms a lump, from Greek maza barley cake; perhaps related to Greek massein to knead] massed adj massedly advMass (mæs; m??s) n1. (Ecclesiastical Terms) (in the Roman Catholic Church and certain Protestant Churches) the celebration of the Eucharist. See also High Mass, Low Mass2. (Music, other) a musical setting of those parts of the Eucharistic service sung by choir or congregation[Old English mæsse, from Church Latin missa, ultimately from Latin mittere to send away; perhaps derived from the concluding dismissal in the Roman Mass, Ite, missa est, Go, it is the dismissal]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014mass (mæs) n. 1. a body of coherent matter, usu. of indefinite shape: a mass of dough. 2. a collection of incoherent particles, parts, or objects regarded as forming one body: a mass of sand. 3. aggregate; whole: People, in the mass, mean well. 4. a considerable number or quantity: a mass of errors. 5. bulk; massiveness: towers of great mass and strength. 6. the greater part of something: the great mass of American films. 7. Physics. the quantity of matter as determined from its weight or from Newton’s second law of motion. Abbr.: m 8. the masses, the ordinary or common people as a whole. adj. 9. pertaining to, involving, or affecting a large number of people: mass unemployment. 10. participated in or performed by a large number of people: mass demonstrations. 11. involving or characteristic of the mass of the people: a mass audience. 12. designed to reach a large number of people: mass communications. 13. done on a large scale: mass destruction. v.i. 14. to come together in or form a mass: clouds massing in the west. v.t. 15. to assemble or distribute in a mass: houses massed in blocks. [1350?1400;