masque
/mɑːsk
/noun
1A 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.Dancing plays a part in the staged entertainments or masques which occur within several plays....
- The literary element was probably the most important component and among those who wrote texts for masques were Ben Jonson and John Milton.
- If my own enthusiasm was kept within bounds, it was partly because Noble treats this wonderful, neglected play as if it were a spectacular masque or Jacobean musical.
2 variant spelling of mask (sense 3 of the noun). adding a treatment masque to your cleansing routine works wonders
Origin
Early 16th century (in the sense 'masquerade or masked ball'): probably a back-formation (influenced by French masque 'mask') from masker, from Italian mascar 'person wearing a mask'.