▪ I. massing, vbl. n.1
(ˈmæsɪŋ)
Also 3 mesing-, 4 mesin-, 4, 6 messyng, 5 mesyng.
[f. mass v.1 + -ing1.]
The action or practice of celebrating mass.
| 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 3589 Four maners of helpes..prayer and fastyng, And almus dede and messyng. 1542–5 Brinklow Lament. (1874) 105, I will exhorte all prestes..to fle and geue ouer that abhominable massynge, which is a blasphemy to Christes bloude. 1546 Bale Eng. Votaries i. (1548) 19 b, Pranked vp with tabernacles & lyghtes, sensynges & massinges. 1661 J. Stephens Procurations 111, I cannot fix the original of this due, forasmuch as the act of Massing quolibet die dominico being too generall..doth not fitly denominate the pay. 1850 Elder's House 166 These Catholics are always for praying and massing. |
† b. attrib. and
Comb., as
massing apparel,
massing cope,
massing furniture,
massing matter,
massing robe,
massing room,
massing sacrifice,
massing vestment,
massing wine;
massing closet = mass-closet;
massing-mate (?
nonce-wd.), the celebrant at mass;
massing penny = mass-penny;
massing-priest = mass-priest.
| 1566 Answ. Exam. pretending to mayntayne Apparell 132 Being required of papisticall persecutours to do on all their *massing apparell. |
| 1656 Heylin Surv. France 180 In this *Massing Closet over the Altar there was hanged a tablet. |
| 1610 Bp. Hall Apol. Brownists §46 What meane you to charge our churches with ‘carued and painted images’?.. What more? ‘*Massing copes and surplices’. |
| 1594 Hooker Eccl. Pol. iv. xi. §2 All their *Massing furniture almost they tooke from the law. |
| 1607 R. C[arew] tr. Estienne's World of Wonders 294 The *Massing-mate [Fr. messatizant] hath the Deacon and Subdeacon to assist him. |
| 1549 Latimer 5th Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 139 Scala cœli, is a preachynge matter I tell you, and not a *massyng matter. |
| 1292 Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 490 Et de ixs. iiijd. ob. de *Mesingpenis de e[odem] t[ermino]. 1536–7 Ibid. 667 De messyngpennys nichil, quia dimittuntur cum tota villa. |
| 1560 Becon Catech. v. Wks. 1564 I. 457 But if ther bee none other remedy but that the *massinge priestes will sacrifice Christe in their masses. 1574 Life 70th Abp. Canterb. To Rdr. F ij, It had some reason to call the Massinge Prieste, a priste secular. 1656 Jeanes Fuln. Christ 63 Their massing priests, and masse sacrifice. |
| 1625 Gonsalvio's Sp. Inquis. 140 They despoiled him of those vile and wicked *Massing robes. |
| 1623 Goad Dolef. Euen-Song 12 A Chamber..being the vsuall *Massing roome for the English resorting thither. |
| c 1571 J. Northbrooke Poore Mans Garden Ep. Ded. 1 More diligent to mooue them to believe in..the *Massing Sacrifice, then Christes Oblation. |
| 1612 T. James Corrupt. Scripture i. 5 marg., *Massing vestiments. |
| 1647 Trapp Comm. Rom. x. 2 He thought he had never sufficiently mingled his *massing wine with water. |
▪ II. massing, vbl. n.2 (
ˈmæsɪŋ)
[f. mass v.2 + -ing1.] The action of
mass v.
2| 1804 K. White Let. R. A. 7 May, What the painters call the massing, or getting the effect of the more prominent lights and shades by broad dashes of the pencil. 1870 Daily News 9 Dec., To-day there has been a massing of German troops, but no fighting. |
▪ III. massing, vbl. n.3 (
ˈmæsɪŋ)
The action of
mass v.
3; the practice of massage.
| 1855 Dunglison Med. Lex. (ed. 12), Massing, shampooing. 1902 Encycl. Brit. XXX. 573 Without going so far as to make massing a closed profession. |