▪ I. † masker, n.1 Obs.
Also 6 maskyr.
[ad. It. maschera: see masquerade n.]
A mask. Phr. in masker: disguised with a mask, in masquerade.
| 1519 in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. I. 143 The King..woll come..and see your Grace in Calais in maskyr. 1532 More Confut. Barnes viii. Wks. 758/1 Their maskers [to be] taken of and their hipocrisie to be dyscouered. 1548 Thomas Ital. Gram. (1567), Maschera, a masker, or a visour. |
▪ II. masker, n.2, masquer
(ˈmɑːskə(r), -æ-)
[f. mask v.4 + -er1. Cf. F. masqueur.]
One who takes part in a masquerade or masque; a person in masquerade, a masquerader.
| α a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 16 After the banket doen, these Maskers came in. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. xii. 6 The whiles the maskers marched forth in trim aray. 1613 Chapman Maske Inns Court A 1 b, Then rode the chiefe maskers, in Indian habits, all of a resemblance. 1722 Steele Conscious Lovers i. i. (1755) 12 You know I was last Thursday at the Masquerade:..the Maskers you know followed us. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth xiii, They show themselves in the streets as the companions of maskers. 1867 Parkman Jesuits in N. Amer. iii. (1875) 15 A party of maskers at the Carnival. |
| β 1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 332 Masquers do therefore couer their faces that they may open their affections. 1625 Bacon Ess., Of Masques (Arb.) 540 Let the Sutes of the Masquers, be Gracefull, and such as become the Person, when the Vizars are off. a 1777 Goldsm. Epil. to ‘Sisters’ 12 The world's a masquerade! the masquers, you, you, you. 1814 Scott Ld. of Isles v. xxiv, In masquers quaint attire She sought his skiff. 1849 Dickens Barn. Rudge iv, Your blockhead father..slips him on a mask and domino, and mixes with the masquers. 1873 Ouida Pascarel I. 23 The masquers reeled on out of sight. |
| Comb. 1593 Nashe Christ's T. 71 b, Your mornelike christall countenaunces shall be netted ouer, and (Masker-like) cawle-visarded, with crawling venomous wormes. |
† b. transf. and fig.
| 1593 Nashe Christ's T. 73 b, England,..the continuall Masquer in out-landish habilements. 1647 Clarendon Contempl. Ps. Tracts (1727) 406 Those maskers in religion and honesty. |
▪ III. masker, v. Obs. exc. dial.
(ˈmɑːskə(r), -æ-)
Forms: α. 4 malscre, malskre; β. 5–9 masker, (7 maskar, maskre).
[OE. *malscrian, implied in malscrung vbl. n.; app. cogn. w. Goth. *malsks (? foolish) in untila-malsks precipitate (tr. Gr. προπετής ‘heady’ A.V., ‘headstrong’ R.V., 2 Tim. iii. 4), OS. malsc proud. Cf. mask v.2]
a. trans. To bewilder, confuse. b. pass. and intr. To be bewildered. Hence ˈmaskering vbl. n. and ppl. a.
| c 725 Corpus Gloss. F 55 (Hessels) Festinatio [i.e. fascinatio], malscrung. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. III. 36 Wið malscrunge minra [? read manra] wihta. c 1350 Will. Palerne 416 How he hade missed is mayne & malskrid a-boute. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 991 Þe ledez of þat lyttel toun wern lopen out for drede, In-to þat malscrande mere. a 1400–50 Alexander 1270 And þat left ware on lyfe bot a litill meȝne, Ware als malscrid [miswritten malstrid: Dubl. MS. maistrett] & mased. c 1450 Cast. Persev. (E.E.T.S.) 76/75 Mankynd is maskeryd with mekyl varyaunce. 1577–87 Holinshed Chron. II. 716 They..so maskered his understanding, that..they brought him to tract the steps of lewd demeanour. 1600 Holland Livy iii. lx. 129 To masker their troubled heads the more, hee assaileth them with a great shout and maine violence. 1601 Deacon & Walker Answ. to Darel To Rdr. 4 An intricate Labyrinth, or maskaring maze. 1681 H. More Expos. Dan. Pref. 7 Why might not the wise men..be so maskard that they could not read the handwriting on the wall? a 1800 Pegge Suppl. Grose (1814), Masker'd, stunned; also nearly choaked. North. 1841 Hartshorne Salop. Antiq. 503 Sich a dark neet I was masker'd like. 1879 G. F. Jackson Shropsh. Word-bk., Maskered, confused, bewildered. |