- a club, usually having a spiked metal head, used esp in the Middle Ages
- a ceremonial staff of office carried by certain officials
- an early form of billiard cue
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
mace1 /meɪs/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
mace2 /meɪs/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]
Mace /meɪs/USA pronunciation Trademark. Maced, Mac•ing. [uncountable]
v. [~ + object]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- a clublike weapon, often with a spiked metal head.
- Governmenta ceremonial staff that symbolizes the office of an official, used in processions.
mace2 /meɪs/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]
- Fooda spice made from the inner husk of the nutmeg.
Mace /meɪs/USA pronunciation Trademark. Maced, Mac•ing. [uncountable]
- Trademarks, Chemistrya chemical spray that causes severe eye irritation, used against rioters or an attacker.
v. [~ + object]
- to spray with Mace:[sometimes: mace]He maced his assailant.
mace1
(mās),USA pronunciation n.
mace2 (mās),USA pronunciation n.
Mace (mās),USA pronunciation [Trademark.]
Mace (mās),USA pronunciation v.t., Maced, Mac•ing.
- a clublike armor-breaking weapon of war, often with a flanged or spiked metal head, used chiefly in the Middle Ages.
- Governmenta ceremonial staff carried before or by certain officials as a symbol of office.
- Governmentmacebearer.
- Games[Billiards.]a light stick with a flat head, formerly used at times instead of a cue.
- Vulgar Latin *mattea; akin to Latin matteola kind of mallet; compare Sanskrit matya harrow
- Old French (compare French masse) large mallet
- Middle English 1250–1300
mace2 (mās),USA pronunciation n.
- Fooda spice ground from the layer between a nutmeg shell and its outer husk, resembling nutmeg in flavor.
- Latin maccis a spice
- Middle French
- Middle English, back formation from macis (taken as plural) 1350–1400
Mace (mās),USA pronunciation [Trademark.]
- Trademarks, Chemistrya nonlethal spray containing purified tear gas and chemical solvents that temporarily incapacitate a person mainly by causing eye and skin irritations: used esp. as a means of subduing rioters. Also called Chemical Mace.
Mace (mās),USA pronunciation v.t., Maced, Mac•ing.
- (sometimes l.c.) to attack with Mace spray.
- see Mace
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
mace /meɪs/ n
mace /meɪs/ n
- a spice made from the dried aril round the nutmeg seed
'mace' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
bulrush
- cat's-tail
- macebearer
- massé
- nutmeg
- reed mace
- baton
- cattail
- Chemical Mace
- macer
- machete
- mashie
- massacre
- maul
- staff