What is "mascaron"

Mask \Mask\ (m[.a]sk), n. [F. masque, LL. masca, mascha, mascus; cf. Sp. & Pg. m['a]scara, It. maschera; all fr. Ar. maskharat buffoon, fool, pleasantry, anything ridiculous or mirthful, fr. sakhira to ridicule, to laugh at. Cf. Masque, Masquerade.]

1. A cover, or partial cover, for the face, used for disguise or protection; as, a dancer's mask; a fencer's mask; a ball player's mask.

2. That which disguises; a pretext or subterfuge.

3. A festive entertainment of dancing or other diversions, where all wear masks; a masquerade; hence, a revel; a frolic; a delusive show.
   --Bacon.

   This thought might lead me through the world's vain mask.
   --Milton.

4. A dramatic performance, formerly in vogue, in which the actors wore masks and represented mythical or allegorical characters.

5. (Arch.) A grotesque head or face, used to adorn keystones and other prominent parts, to spout water in fountains, and the like; -- called also mascaron.

6. (Fort.)

   1. In a permanent fortification, a redoubt which protects the caponiere.

   2. A screen for a battery.

7. (Zo["o]l.) The lower lip of the larva of a dragon fly, modified so as to form a prehensile organ.

8. A person wearing a mask; a masker.

   The mask that has the arm of the Indian queen.
   --G. W. Cable.

9. (Sporting) The head or face of a fox.

   Mask house, a house for masquerades. [Obs.]

   Death mask, a cast of the face of a dead person.

''' Mascaron ''' may refer to:

• Mascaron (architecture), a decorative element in the form of a sculpted face or head of a human being or an animal
• Jules Mascaron, a French preacher

In architecture, a mascaron ornament is a face, usually human, sometimes frightening or chimeric whose function was originally to frighten away evil spirits so that they would not enter the building. The concept was subsequently adapted to become a purely decorative element. The most recent architectural style to extensively employ mascarons was Beaux Arts.