mass
UK: mæs | US: mæs
n. a large quantity or amount of something
n. (Physics) the measure of an object's resistance to acceleration
n. (Christianity) the Eucharistic liturgy
adj. involving or affecting many people or things
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Derived from Old English mæsse (Christian liturgical service), borrowed from Latin missa (dismissal, from the concluding phrase Ite, missa est). The secular meaning ("large quantity") evolved in Late Middle English, influenced by Latin massa (lump, bulk), which itself came from Greek mâza (barley cake, lump). The physics sense emerged in the 17th century, retaining the core idea of "bulk."
A mass of clouds gathered before the storm.
The object's mass determines its gravitational pull.
They attended Sunday mass at the cathedral.
The protest drew a mass crowd to the square.
Mass production lowered the cost of goods.