What is the difference between a mask and a masque?
I know they are both worn on the face but I have no idea beyond that.
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As I interpret it, a mask is what you wear on your face and a masque is a costume party or event at which people are in masks, for example Edgar Allan Poe’s story “The Masque of the Red Death.”
As far as I know they are synonyms. Either spelling is acceptable. I’ll be following to see what others say. Sending this to gailcalled.
@janbb I think you are describing a masquerade.
masque |mask| From my dictionary app.
noun
1: a form of amateur dramatic entertainment, popular among the nobility in 16th- and 17th-century England, which consisted of dancing and acting performed by masked players.
2: variant spelling of mask ( sense 1 of the noun).
I would not use them synonymously.
“I wore my mask while attending the masque.”: (masquerade or masked ball.
It seems to me that “mask” can be used metaphorically, while “masque” cannot:
__We all hide behind the mask of learning.__
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