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The Collaborative International Dictionary
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.

Wikipedia
Mascaron

''' 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
Mascaron (architecture)

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.

Usage examples of "mascaron".

France a passe sur ces arches venerables ou des mascarons, les uns souriants, les autres grimacants, semblent exprimer les miseres et les gloires, les terreurs et les esperances, les haines et les amours dont ils ont ete temoins durant des siecles.