Etymologically
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masquerade

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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
  • 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