Mass

Mass, mas, n. the celebration of the Lord's Supper or Eucharist in R.C. churches, also the office for the same: a musical setting of certain parts of the R.C. liturgy: a church festival or feast-day, as in Candlemas, Christmas, Martinmas, &c.—ns. Mass′-bell, or Sacring-bell, a bell rung during the celebration of mass, at the elevation of the host; Mass′-book, the R.C. missal or service-book; Mass′-priest, formerly a R.C. secular priest, as distinct from those living under a rule—later, a priest retained in chantries, &c., to say masses for the dead: a R.C. priest generally.—Mass for the dead, a funeral mass for the faithful in Christ, to hasten their release from purgatory; Conventual mass, a mass for the general community of a religious house: a mass at which special remembrance is made of pious founders and benefactors; Dry mass, or service, a rite in which there is neither consecration nor communion; High mass, a mass celebrated with music, ritual, ceremonies, and incense; Low mass, the ordinary mass celebrated without music and incense; Midnight mass, that mass which is said at midnight on Christmas-eve; Private mass, any mass where only the priest communicates, esp. in a private oratory; Solemn mass, a mass resembling a high mass, but without some of its special ceremonies; Votive mass, a special mass over and above those ordinarily said for the day, for some particular grace or purpose, and provided by some individual. [A.S. mæsse—Low L. missa—L. missus, mittĕre, to send away, from the phrase at the close of service, Ite, missa est (ecclesia), 'Go, the congregation is dismissed.']