massage

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

• (US) IPA^(key): /məˈsɑʒ/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmæsɑʒ/

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.

• erotic massage
• Thai massage
• See also Thesaurus:therapy

• automassage
• massager
• massotherapy

• massage parlour (massage parlor)
• massage therapist
• 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).
   • 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 manipulate (data, a document etc.) to make it more presentable or more convenient to work with.
   • 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin 2003, p. 118:

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

   • 2008, Patrick Wintour & Steven Morris, The Guardian, May 22 2008, p. 3:

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

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

From French massage.

• IPA^(key): /mɑˈsaːʒə/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mas‧sa‧ge

massage f (plural massages, diminutive massagetje n)

1. physical massage

• masseur m

masser +‎ -age

• IPA^(key): /masaʒ/

massage m (plural massages)

1. physical massage

• masser
• masseur m, masseuse f

• “massage” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

From French massage.

• IPA^(key): /maˈsɑːɧ/

massage c

1. massage

• massera
• massör, massös