mask

\ ' mask\

etymology: middle french   masque, from old Italian maschera 1534

 1 a   (1) :   a cover or partial cover for the face used for disguise   (2) :   a person wearing a mask   :   masker b   (1) :   a figure of a head worn on the stage in antiquity to identify the character and project the voice   (2) :   a grotesque false face worn at carnivals or in rituals   c :   an often grotesque carved head or face used as an ornament (as on a keystone)   d :   a sculptured face or a copy of a face made by means of a mould.

2 a :   something that serves to conceal or disguise   :   pretense , cloak <aware of the   masks,   facades and defenses people erect to protect themselves — Kenneth Keniston>   b :   something that conceals from view   c :   a translucent or opaque screen to cover part of the sensitive surface in taking or printing a photograph   d :   a pattern of opaque material used to shield selected areas of a surface (as of a semiconductor) in deposition or etching (as in producing an integrated circuit)

3 a :   a protective covering for the face   b :   gas mask   c :   a device covering the mouth and nose to facilitate inhalation   d :   a comparable device to prevent exhalation of infective material   e :   a cosmetic preparation for the skin of the face that produces a tightening effect as it dries

definition from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mask