mace
noun /meɪs/
/meɪs/
- [countable] a large decorated stick, carried as a sign of authority by an official such as a mayor compare sceptreCultureIn the British House of Commons the mace is a rod decorated with silver and gold that is kept as symbol of the authority of the Speaker.
- [countable] a large heavy stick that has a head with metal points on it, used in the past as a weapon
- [uncountable] the dried outer layer that covers nutmegs (= the hard nuts of a tropical tree), used in cooking as a spiceTopics Foodc2
Word Originsenses 1 to 2 Middle English: from Old French masse ‘large hammer’.sense 3 Middle English macis (taken as plural), via Old French from Latin macir.