Mace
noun
(trademark) a liquid that temporarily disables a person; prepared as an aerosol and sprayed in the face, it irritates the eyes and causes dizziness and immobilization
a ceremonial staff carried as a symbol of office or authority
Origin
* As an English surname, from the personal name Masse, probably shortened from Matthew. Compare Massey, Massett. * As a French and Breton surname, from Macé, vernacular form of Mathieu. Compare Maze. * Also as a French surname, from Macé in Orne, from Late Latin Macciacum, from the personal name Maccius. * Also as a French surname, variant of Massé; see Masse.
Phrases
- mace head
- sergeant at mace
Related words
Word family
Broader terms
Part of
WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.