Etymologically
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massage

Etymology and origin of the English word massage

History Permalink
Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1874
Borrowed from
French massage
Ultimate origin
French (massage)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmæsɑː(d)ʒ/, /məˈsɑː(d)ʒ/ (UK); /məˈsɑ(d)ʒ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French massage (“friction, kneading”) (by 1819),[2][3][4] from masser, to massage,[2][3][5] possibly from Arabic مَسَّ (massa), to touch, feel, handle, perhaps picked up in Egypt during Napoleon's campaign there,[2][3][5] or from Portuguese amassar, to knead, from massa, dough (see mass).[4][6][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The rubbing and kneading of the muscles and joints for therapy: 1874 in Etymonline, 1876 in Barnhart and the OED, about 1860 in Merriam-Webster.[2][3][7][5]

Semantic evolution

The verb is from 1874 in Etymonline, 1887 in Barnhart and the OED.[2][3][7] Massage parlor, first attested in 1894, was from the start a euphemism for a brothel,[2] and the OED records massage as a euphemism for sexual activity from 1913.[7] The figurative sense, to manipulate data so that they look better, is by 1966,[2][7] and to massage someone's ego, to flatter, is also figurative.[8] Masseur and masseuse are 19th-century borrowings.[4]

Timeline

  • 1874 – massage.[2]
  • 1887 – to massage (verb).[3]
  • 1894 – massage parlor.[2]
  • 1966 – to manipulate data.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The rubbing and kneading of parts of the body to aid circulation or relax the muscles.

Verb

  1. To give a massage to.
  2. To manipulate figures or data so that they appear better or support a view.
  3. To flatter: to massage someone's ego.

Word family

  • massager
  • massotherapy
  • heart massage
  • Swedish massage
  • massage parlor
  • masseur
  • masseuse
  • knead

Usage notes

Massage was also an obsolete spelling of message.[7]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Massage.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/massage. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·