English word origin

Etymology of masa

Borrowed from Japanese 柾 (masa) or 政 (masa), an abbreviation of 柾紙 (masagami) or 政紙 (masagami).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A strong form of paper, smooth on one side and lightly textured on the other, used for drawing and painting.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Japanese 柾 (masa) or 政 (masa), an abbreviation of 柾紙 (masagami) or 政紙 (masagami).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mention柾ja

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ja",
        "3": "柾",
        "tr": "masa"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Japanese 柾 (masa)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "柾",
      "柾#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "政",
      "政#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "柾紙",
      "柾紙#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "政紙",
      "政紙#Japanese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A strong form of paper, smooth on one side and lightly textured on the other, used for drawing and painting."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "508e6aa94982306ed44c4d29d9c6aa182ac9934dbd97dd1c066e05b54f94e823",
      "rawRecordSha256": "114a023e267e0b6e195e6d5d875bdd558142d72a12ea7ff72a148abaec67e4b7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 400019
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Maize dough made from freshly prepared hominy, used for making tortillas, tamales, etc.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Spanish masa (“dough”). Doublet of mass.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionmasaes
Doublet mentionmassen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "masa",
        "4": "",
        "5": "dough"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish masa (“dough”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mass"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of mass"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "masa",
      "masa#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "mass",
      "mass#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Maize dough made from freshly prepared hominy, used for making tortillas, tamales, etc."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "recordId": "aee347789e7bfdec02aa247c851201d73dc831548ccd2531c5081a6c9e8c80f6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "82e8a2953ef6fbf179c3602c4e9cedd56e3dfc391307467d189752ad4e7d27eb",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 400020
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for masa →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bWFzYQ