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mascarade

Etymology and origin of the French word mascarade

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1554, Mellin de Saint-Gelais
Borrowed from
Italian mascherata
Ultimate origin
Italian (mascherata)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French mascarade
English masquerade

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /mas.ka.ʁad/[1]

Forms

mascarade f (plural mascarades)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian mascherata, northern form “mascarata” (16th century),[2][3][4][5] a derivative of “maschera” “mask” (see masque).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Mellin de Saint-Gelais (1554) titled a poem for une mascarade performed one evening, at the queen's command, by six young ladies dressed as sibyls: an entertainment played by masked characters.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Ronsard (1565) and Marot wrote verses for such entertainments (Boileau: rima des mascarades), which under Henri IV and Louis XIII merged with the ballet-mascarade while keeping their burlesque character.[6][3] From 1579 (Larivey) it was also a gathering or procession of masked people, as in carnival (Montaigne's masquarades).[2][7][8] Furetière (1690) records the figurative “hypocritical show, deceitful staging” (ce procès n'est qu'une mascarade) and its use for a person oddly dressed; in 1821 it describes an extravagant garment.[2][3]

Timeline

  • 1554 – In Mellin de Saint-Gelais.[2]
  • 1565 – Verses for a mascarade, in Ronsard.[6]
  • 1579 – A procession of masks, in Larivey.[2]
  • 1611 – Masquerade in Cotgrave.[7]
  • 1690 – “Hypocritical show”, in Furetière.[2]
  • 1821 – An extravagant garment.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A masquerade, masked party or procession: les mascarades du carnaval.[8][9]
  2. (figurative) A farce, sham: ce procès est une mascarade.[8][1]
  3. A ridiculous or bizarre get-up.[8][9]
  4. (history) A masque (danced and recited entertainment).[8][9]
  • masque
  • masquer

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Borrowed into

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Mascarade.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/mascarade. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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