massage

From French massage (noun), from masser (“to massage”) (borrowed around the end of the 18th century from Arabic مَسَّ (massa, “feel, touch”), or from Portuguese amassar) + -age. Cognate to German massieren.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmæsɑː(d)ʒ/, /məˈsɑː(d)ʒ/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /məˈsɑ(d)ʒ/

massage (countable and uncountable, plural massages)

1. The action of rubbing, kneading or hitting someone's body, to help the person relax, prepare for muscular action (as in contact sports) or to relieve aches.

   Having a massage can have many beneficial effects.

   • 2014, Gary Vitacco-Robles, Icon: The Life, Times and Films of Marilyn Monroe Volume 2 1956-1962 AND Beyond:

     During the long lapses in work common with on-location productions, Marilyn would silently meditate as Roberts provided a shoulder massage.

2. The action of rubbing or kneading anything.

   The baker gave the dough one final massage.

• Thai massage
• See also Thesaurus:therapy

• masseur, masseuse

massage (third-person singular simple present massages, present participle massaging, simple past and past participle massaged)

1. (transitive) To rub and knead (someone's body or a part of a body), to perform a massage on (somebody).

   My neck doesn't hurt as much as it did last night since my wife massaged me after I got back from the concert.

   • 2010 January 11, Julian Kaye, Massage Therapy‎:

     So after massaging a nude woman while being nude or nearly nude myself, sex is a natural way to end things.

2. (transitive) To rub or knead anything.

   Massage the kale to soften it before making the salad.

3. (transitive) To manipulate (data, a document etc.) to make it more presentable or more convenient to work with.
   • 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 118:

     News relating to public disturbances was systematically massaged [...].

   • 2008 May 22, Patrick Wintour, Steven Morris, The Guardian, page 3:

     The Conservatives have massaged expectations down by saying they would be delighted with a majority of 1,000 […]

4. (transitive) To falsify (data or accounts).

• massage someone's ego

• → Japanese: マッサージ
  • → Chinese: 馬殺雞／马杀鸡 (mǎshājī)

From French massage.

• IPA^(key): /mɑˈsaːʒə/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mas‧sa‧ge

massage f (plural massages, diminutive massagetje n)

1. physical massage

• masseur m

• → Indonesian: masasê
• → Papiamentu: masashi

From masser +‎ -age.

• IPA^(key): /ma.saʒ/

massage m (plural massages)

1. physical massage

• masser
• masseur m, masseuse f

• “massage”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

From French massage.

• IPA^(key): /maˈsɑːɧ/

massage c

1. massage

• massera
• massör, massös

• massage in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• massage in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• massage in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)