mass |mas|noun1 a coherent, typically large body of matter with no definite shape : amass of curly hair | from here the trees were a dark mass.• a large number of people or objects crowded together : a mass ofcyclists.• a large amount of material : a mass of conflicting evidence.• ( masses) informal a large quantity or amount of something : we getmasses of homework.• any of the main portions in a painting or drawing that each have some unity in color, lighting, or some other quality : the masterly distribution of masses.2 ( the mass of) the majority of : the great mass of the population had little interest in the project.• ( the masses) the ordinary people.3 Physics the quantity of matter that a body contains, as measured by its acceleration under a given force or by the force exerted on it by a gravitational field.• (in general use) weight.adjective [ attrib. ]relating to, done by, or affecting large numbers of people or things : the movie has mass appeal | a mass exodus of refugees.verbassemble or cause to assemble into a mass or as one body : [ trans. ] both countries began massing troops in the region | [ intrans. ] clouds massed heavily on the horizon.PHRASESbe a mass of be completely covered with : his face was a mass of bruises.in the mass as a whole : her genuine affection for humanity in the mass.DERIVATIVESmassless adjectiveORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French masse, from Latinmassa, from Greek maza ‘barley cake’ ; perhaps related to massein‘knead.’massé |maˈsā|noun [usu. as adj. ] Billiardsa stroke made with an inclined cue, imparting swerve to the ball : a massé shot.ORIGIN late 19th cent.: French, past participle of masser, describing the action of making such a stroke.