mace Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun (trademark) a liquid that temporarily disables a person; prepared as an aerosol and sprayed in the face, it irritates the eyes and causes dizziness and immobilization
    Chemical Mace.
  2. noun an official who carries a mace of office
    macer; macebearer.
  3. noun spice made from the dried fleshy covering of the nutmeg seed
  4. noun a ceremonial staff carried as a symbol of office or authority

WordNet

Mace noun
Etymology
Jav. & Malay. mas, fr. Skr. masha a bean.
Definitions
  1. A money of account in China equal to one tenth of a tael; also, a weight of 57.98 grains. S. W. Williams.
Mace noun
Etymology
F. macis, L. macis, macir, Gr. cf. Skr. makaranda the nectar or honey of a flower, a fragrant mango.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A kind of spice; the aril which partly covers nutmegs. See Nutmeg. ✍ Red mace is the aril of Myristica tingens, and white mace that of M. Otoba, -- East Indian trees of the same genus with the nutmeg tree.
Mace noun
Etymology
OF. mace, F. masse, from (assumed) L. matea, of which the dim. mateola a kind of mallet or beetle, is found.
Definitions
  1. A heavy staff or club of metal; a spiked club; -- used as weapon in war before the general use of firearms, especially in the Middle Ages, for breaking metal armor. Chaucer.
    Death with his mace petrific . . . smote. Milton.
  2. Hence: A staff borne by, or carried before, a magistrate as an ensign of his authority. "Swayed the royal mace." Wordsworth.
  3. An officer who carries a mace as an emblem of authority. Macaulay.
  4. A knobbed mallet used by curriers in dressing leather to make it supple.
  5. (Billiards) A rod for playing billiards, having one end suited to resting on the table and pushed with one hand.

Webster 1913