Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2
Original entry ↗To form or collect into a mass; to form into a collective body; to assemble.
A quantity of matter cohering so as to make one body, or an aggregation of particles or things which collectively make one body or quantity, usually of considerable size. · Precious metal, especially gold or silver. · A measure of the inertia of a mass of matter, one of four fundamental properties of matter. SI unit of mass: kilogram. · A medicinal substance made into a cohesive, homogeneous lump, of consistency suitable for making pills.
In late Middle English (circa 1400) as masse in the sense of "lump, quantity of matter", from Anglo-Norman masse, in Old French attested from the 11th century, via late Latin massa (“lump, dough”), from Ancient Greek μᾶζα (mâza, “barley-cake, lump (of dough)”). The Greek noun may be derived from the verb μάσσω (mássō, “to knead”), ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European *maǵ- (“to oil, knead”), although this is uncertain. Doublet of masa. The sense of "a large number or quantity" arises circa 1580. The scientific sense is from 1687 (as Latin massa) in the works of Isaac Newton, with the first English use (as mass) occurring in 1704.
Relationships mentioned by the source
These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.
This page abbreviates 7 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.
Inspect preserved source fields
Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.
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"To form or collect into a mass; to form into a collective body; to assemble."
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"Precious metal, especially gold or silver.",
"A measure of the inertia of a mass of matter, one of four fundamental properties of matter. SI unit of mass: kilogram.",
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