מסכה

Hebrew[edit]

Root
נ־ס־ך (n-s-k)

From Hebrew נסך (nasakh, “pour”), possibly related to Aramaic נתך (natakh, “smelt”) and Akkadian natāku (“drip”). Meaning as "mask" is phono-semantic matching of English mask.

מַסֵּכָה • (masekhá) f

molten image
- Tanach, Deuteronomy 9:12, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
  וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלַי קוּם רֵד מַהֵר מִזֶּה כִּי שִׁחֵת עַמְּךָ אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתָ מִמִּצְרָיִם סָרוּ מַהֵר מִן־הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִם עָשׂוּ לָהֶם מַסֵּכָה:
  Vayómer Adonái elái kum red mahér mi-zeh ki shiḥét 'amkhá ashér hotséta mi-mitzráyim sarú mahér min ha-dérekh ashér tsivitém 'asú lahém masekhá
  And the Lord said unto me: ‘Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people that thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have dealt corruptly; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.
(modern) mask
- 1923, “חג פורים [Ḥag Purim]”, Levin Kipnis (lyrics)‎^[1]Frankfurt am Main: Omonuth:
  מַסֵּכוֹת, רַעֲשָׁנִים, שִׁיר וְרִקּוּדִים
  masekhót, ra'ashaním, shir v-riqudim
  masks, noisemakers, song and dance