mass

la masa

USAGE NOTE

This word is often capitalized in the sense shown in 3).

mass(mahs)

noun

1. (large quantity)

a. la masa

(F)

A mass of grey clouds announced the coming of a storm.

Una masa de nubarrones anunciaba la llegada de una tormenta.

2. (physics)

a. la masa

(F)

Mass is a measurement of the quantity of matter contained in a body.

La masa mide la cantidad de materia que hay en un cuerpo.

3. (religious)

a. la misa

(F)

Every Sunday, my grandmother goes to church to attend mass.

Todos los domingos, mi abuela va a la iglesia a escuchar misa.

adjective

4. (involving many people)

a. de masas (culture, movement, tourism)

It is an area still unspoiled by mass tourism.

Es una región donde todavía no ha llegado el turismo de masas.

b. masivo (unemployment, demonstration, support)

Not many people remember the mass unemployment of the 70s.

No hay muchos que recuerden el desempleo masivo de los años 70.

c. colectivo (effort, hysteria, suicide)

There was an outbreak of mass hysteria when the store doors opened on the first day of the sale.

Se desató una histeria colectiva cuando se abrieron las puertas de la tienda el primer día de las rebajas.

d. en masa (exodus, murder, production)

When he got up to speak there was a mass exodus from the hall.

Cuando se levantó a hablar, se produjo un éxodo en masa de la sala.

transitive verb

5. (to gather)

a. concentrar

The enemy were massing their troops on the border.

El enemigo concentraba sus tropas en la frontera.

intransitive verb

6. (to gather)

a. concentrarse

The rebels were massing at their secret headquarters.

Los rebeldes se estaban concentrando en su cuartel general secreto.

masses

plural noun

7. (ordinary people)

a. las masas

(F)

The police charged against the masses demonstrating in the streets.

La policía cargó contra las masas que se manifestaban en las calles.

8.

(colloquial)

(large quantity) (United Kingdom)

a. el montón

(M)

She's made masses of friends at university.

Ha hecho un montón de amigos en la universidad.

mass

Noun

1. (religion)

a. la misa

(F)

Copyright © 2006 Harrap Publishers Limited

mass [mæs]

noun

(Rel) misa (f)

to go to mass ir a misa; oír misa; to hear mass oír misa; to say mass decir misa

mass [mæs]

noun

1 (concentration) masa (f)

the garden was a mass of colour el jardín era una masa de color; she had a mass of auburn hair tenía una mata de pelo castaño rojizo; he's a mass of bruises está cubierto de cardenales

it cools and sets into a solid mass /an arctic air mass/ struck the region last night a great mass of people the black mass of the mountains rose above the lake the cheese curd is formed into a large mass and then stretched mechanically the strong temperature differences between the two masses of air when the difference between high and low tides reaches around 20 feet, a very large mass of water is ejected into the river people often behaved irrationally, especially when in large masses women can lose as much as 2 percent of their bone mass each year the dough is firm and can be lifted in one mass on his desk is a mass of books and papers masses of excited people clogged the streets a mass of grinning teenage faces honeysuckle grew in masses along the country roads they voted in their masses soldiers swarmed in masses on the parapets she planted them in masses of one colour I would sit playing with my hair and it would come out in masses

the (great) mass of the population la (gran) masa de la población

the second world war involved the mass of the population schools allowed the mass of children to leave school at 16 with poor qualifications the condition of the mass of people who led lives of quiet desperation the [great] mass of their mission to educate the great mass of the people they did not appeal directly to the great mass of middle-class opinion

in the mass en conjunto

the relationship between human society, in the mass, and that interaction of land and air and water we call climate you act individually just as modern man lives in the mass each day

air critical

2 masses (great quantity) montones (informal) (m); cantidad (informal) (f)

there's masses of work for her to do hay montones (informal) or cantidad (informal) de trabajo para ella; masses of people crowded inside una masa de gente entró en tropel

it has masses of flowers each year a dress covered in masses of tiny sequins we have masses

3

the masses (ordinary people) las masas

Shakespeare for the masses his music is commercial - it is aimed at the masses linking the Soviet leadership with the masses appealing to the middle class and business as well as the masses

4 (Fís) masa (f)

Pluto and Triton have nearly the same size, mass and density

transitive verb

concentrar

an area where poor-quality housing is massed together he brought yellow roses from the garden and massed them in large vases on the tables where poor-quality housing is massed together, the whole area becomes unfit the general was massing his troops for a counter-attack a mighty array of massed cavalry

intransitive verb

[+people, crowds, troops] concentrarse; [+clouds] agruparse

huge clouds massed on the horizon the troops massed on the border with Israel shortly after workers went on strike police began to mass at the shipyard 10 tanks and 15 armored personnel carriers have massed on Israel's's northern border US special forces troops are also known to be massing in the Gulf nearly 300,000 people in fancy dress massed in Santa Catalina square the crowds were massing in the park before the demonstration

modifier

[+movement, action] de masas; [+protest, unemployment, support] masivo; [+suicide] colectivo; [+tourism] en masa

weapons of mass destruction the harm caused by mass tourism there is little likelihood for the rise of a mass movement the agitators of the nineteenth century who never succeeded in ripening the frequent disorders and crises of their time into full-scale mass movements the ANC's weeklong campaign of mass action for democracy weapons of mass destruction they possessed the mass support which he lacked how successful would they be in rallying mass support? the ability of these groups to mobilize mass opposition on the streets he has refused to resign despite a fifth day of mass protest calling for his resignation all the lights went off and mass hysteria broke out the cult members apparently committed mass suicide there was the possibility of a mass suicide any time

mass exodus (n) éxodo (m) masivo or en masa

there has been a mass exodus from the countryside of people seeking work in the city the action is an attempt to stem a mass exodus of some 20,000 refugees to Italy

mass grave (n) fosa (f) común

the bodies were discovered in mass graves outside the town

mass killing (n) matanza (f); masacre (f)

mass market (n) mercado (m) popular

the production of standardized food for the mass market there is no mass market for this product

mass media (n) medios (m) de comunicación (de masas)

the examination results are publicized through the mass media they aspire to the image of women they see in the mass media

mass meeting (n) concentración (f) de masas

he flew from city to city, speaking to mass meetings

mass murder (n) matanza (f); masacre (f)

no one who commits mass murder could be sane 22 people were killed Wednesday in the nation's worst mass murder Kurdish leaders have acknowledged the mass killings took place the pope said that the mass killing of the unborn is among the worst crimes of genocide there have been reports of mass killings and torture at the camps

mass murderer (n) autoraautora (m) (f) de una matanza or masacre;a autora

they called Columbus a mass murderer who exploited Indians a chilling insight into the mind of a mass murderer

mass noun (n) sustantivo (m) or nombre (m) no contable

mass number (n) número (m) de masa

mass production (n) fabricación (f) en serie

the semi-skilled mass-production worker this bias toward mass production on an assembly line led to inflexibility the introduction of mass production techniques in the automobile and related industries

mass transit (n) (US) transporte (m) público

the 151 billion dollar authorization for highway and mass transit systems should provide several million jobs most mass transit in the capital was halted commuters who choose to take mass transit instead of driving their cars to work