masquerade

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌmæskəˈɹeɪd/, /ˌmɑːskəˈɹeɪd/ (UK)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French mascarade (“masked party or dance”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Italian mascarata, a variant of mascherata “masquerade”,^[2][3][4][5] from maschera “mask”.^[2][3][4][5] Early English forms such as mascarado imitated Spanish or Italian endings.^[3][6] It is related to mask.^[2][3][4][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

A gathering of people wearing masks and costumes, as mascarado (1597).^[7][3][4] Merriam-Webster dates the noun to 1587.^[5]

Semantic evolution

From a masked ball the word extended to disguise in general (1660s)^[4][7] and, figuratively, to a false outward show or pretence (1670s).^[4][7] The verb, first “to disguise as at a masquerade” (1654),^[7][3] came by 1692 to mean to go about under a false character,^[7] the main modern sense.^[2][5][6]

Timeline

• 1597 – a masked gathering, as mascarado.^[7][3]
• 1654 – verb, to disguise.^[7][3]
• 1660s – disguise in general.^[4]
• 1674 – a false outward show.^[7][4]
• 1692 – to go about under a false character.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A party or ball at which masks and costumes are worn.
2. A costume or disguise worn at such a party.
3. A false outward show; a pretense or façade.

Verb

1. To pretend to be someone or something one is not, as in masquerade as a doctor.
2. To wear a mask or disguise; to take part in a masquerade.

Word family

• masquerader

Related words

• mask
• masque

Usage notes

Random House gives mummery as a synonym.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press