English
mace
see also: Mace
Pronunciation Noun

mace (plural maces)

  1. A heavy fighting club.
    • 1786, The Mace is an ancient weapon, formerly much used by cavalry of all nations, and likewise by ecclesiastics, who in consequence of their tenures, frequently took the field, but were by a canon of the church forbidden to wield the sword. — Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 51.
  2. A ceremonial form of this weapon.
    • 1598, I am a king that find thee; and I know 'Tis not the balm, the sceptre, and the ball, The sword, the mace, the crown imperial, The intertissued robe of gold and pearl... — William Shakespeare, Henvry V, Act IV, Scene I, line 259.
  3. A long baton used by some drum majors to keep time and lead a marching band. If this baton is referred to as a mace, by convention it has a ceremonial often decorative head, which, if of metal, usually is hollow and sometimes intricately worked.
  4. An officer who carries a mace as an emblem of authority.
  5. A knobbed mallet used by curriers in dressing leather to make it supple.
  6. (archaic) A billiard cue.
Translations Translations
  • French: masse
  • German: Amtsstab
  • Italian: mazza
  • Portuguese: maça
  • Russian: жезл
Verb

mace (maces, present participle macing; past maced, past participle maced)

  1. To hit someone or something with a mace#English|mace.
Noun

mace (plural maces)

  1. An old money of account in China equal to one tenth of a tael.
  2. An old weight of 57.98 grains.
Noun

mace

  1. A spice obtained from the outer layer of the kernel of the fruit of the nutmeg.
    • 1610, William Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale, Act IV, Scene III, line 45.
      I must have saffron to color the warden pies; mace; dates, none -- that's out of my note; nutmegs, seven; a race or two of ginger, but that I may beg; four pounds of prunes, and as many of raisins o' th' sun.
Translations
  • French: macis
  • German: Macis
  • Italian: macis
  • Portuguese: macis
  • Russian: ма́цис
  • Spanish: macis
Noun

mace (plural maces)

  1. Tear gas or pepper spray, especially for personal use.
Translations
  • Russian: слезоточи́вый газ
Verb

mace (maces, present participle macing; past maced, past participle maced)

  1. To spray in defense or attack with mace (pepper spray or tear gas) using a hand-held device.
  2. (informal) To spray a similar noxious chemical in defense or attack using an available hand-held device such as an aerosol spray can.
    • 1989, Carl Hiaasen, Skin Tight, Ballantine Books, New York, chapter 22:
      When Reynaldo and Willie had burst into Larkey's drug store to confront him, the old man had maced Willie square in the eyes with an aerosol can of spermicidal birth-control foam.
Mace
Proper noun
  1. Alternative letter-case form of mace tear gas or pepper spray


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