1. The property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
   "The mass of the planet was calculated using complex equations"
    
2. (often followed by ‘of’) a large number, amount or extent
   "a mass of letters";
   - batch, deal, flock, good deal, great deal, hatful, heap, lot, mess, mickle [archaic], mountain, muckle, passel [US], peck, pile [informal], plenty, pot, quite a little, raft, sight, slew, spate, stack [informal], tidy sum, wad, bunch [informal], scad [N. Amer, informal]
    
3. A body of matter without definite shape
   "a huge ice mass"
    
4. An ill-structured collection of similar things (objects or people)
   "A mass of spectators gathered to watch the parade"
    
5. The common people generally
   "separate the warriors from the mass";
   - multitude, masses, hoi polloi, people, the great unwashed [informal]
    
6. The property of something that is great in magnitude
   "he received a mass of correspondence";
   - bulk, volume

1. Join together into a mass, collect or form a mass
   "Crowds were massing outside the palace"

1. Formed of separate units gathered into a mass or whole
   "mass expenses include expenses of all divisions combined for the entire year";
   - aggregate, aggregated, aggregative

1. A state in New England, with capital Boston; one of the original 13 colonies
   - Massachusetts, Bay State, Old Colony, MA

1. (Roman Catholic Church and Protestant Churches) the celebration of the Eucharist
    
2. A sequence of prayers constituting the Christian Eucharistic rite
   "the priest said Mass"
    
3. A musical setting for a Mass
   "they played a Mass composed by Beethoven"

Derived forms: massed, masses, massing, Masses

See also: collective

Type of: accumulation, aggregation, American state, assemblage, body, church music, collection, crowd, crowd together, fundamental measure, fundamental quantity, group, grouping, large indefinite amount, large indefinite quantity, magnitude, physical property, prayer, religious ceremony, religious music, religious ritual

Part of: America, High Mass, 'Merica, New England, the States, U.S., U.S.A., United States, United States of America, US, USA

Encyclopedia: Mass, Mike