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Webster 1913 Edition

Mace

Mace

(mās)
,
Noun.
[Jav. & Malay.
mās
, fr. Skr.
māsha
a bean.]
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.
[F.
macis
, L.
macis
,
macir
, Gr. [GREEK]; cf. Skr.
makar
anda the nectar or honey of a flower, a fragrant mango.]
(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
Myristica Otoba
, – East Indian trees of the same genus with the nutmeg tree.

Mace

,
Noun.
[OF.
mace
, F.
masse
, from (assumed) L.
matea
, of which the dim.
mateola
a kind of mallet or beetle, is found.]
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; a macebearer.
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 1828 Edition

Mace

MACE

,
Noun.
An ensign of authority borne before magistrates. Originally, the mace was a club or instrument of war, made of iron and much used by cavalry. It was in the shape of a coffee mill. Being no longer a weapon of war, its form is changed; it is made of silver or copper gilt, and ornamented with a crown, globe and cross.
A leaden mace,
A heavy iron mace.

MACE

,
Noun.
[L. macis.] A spice; the second coat which covers the nutmeg, a thin and membranaceous substance of an oleaginous nature and yellowish color, being in flakes divided into many ramifications; it is extremely fragrant and aromatic.

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