masses
masses Lexical Profile
masses Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The ordinary people or lower socioeconomic classes who form the largest part of a society or population (usually preceded by "the").
"The affordable printing press made literature accessible to the masses for the first time in history."
Plural form of mass: coherent, typically large bodies of matter with no definite shape, or large quantities and accumulations of things.
"Dark masses of storm clouds gathered along the western horizon before the rain began."
Plural form of Mass (often capitalized): celebrations of the Christian Eucharist, especially in the Roman Catholic Church, or musical settings of parts of this liturgy.
"The cathedral schedules several Masses on Sunday mornings to accommodate the large congregation."
• verb
To assemble or gather into a single body or compact crowd (third-person singular present tense of mass).
"The crowd masses outside the stadium gates hours before the concert begins."
Word Nuance & Usage
When preceded by the definite article ("the masses"), this plural noun specifically refers to the common people or the working class as a collective whole, often in contrast to the ruling elite.
• Rhymes for masses
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived via Old French from the Latin 'massa', meaning a lump of dough or paste, which itself comes from the Ancient Greek 'maza' (barley cake). The liturgical sense of 'Mass' stems separately from the Late Latin 'missa' (dismissal).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.