massage

B2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /məˈsɑ(d)ʒ/ UK /ˈmæsɑː(d)ʒ/ See IPA manual

Freq #4295

Meanings

1

noun
The act of rubbing and pressing the body to relax muscles or relieve pain.

After the long hike, a massage helped her sore legs.
2

verb
To rub and press someone's body to help them relax or ease pain.

He gently massaged her aching shoulders.
3

verb
To change figures or information slightly to make them look better.

The company was accused of massaging its sales figures.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 verb · to rub and press someone's... kneadrub down

Word family

Forms massagedmassagesmassaging

Derived forms automassageelectromassagehydromassagemassageablemassagelikemassagermassaginglymassagistmassotherapynonmassagenonmassagedotomassage

Related forms masseur masseuse

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

massage parlor
a business where customers receive massages

Noun + noun

Etymology

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.

massage French مَسَّ Arabic م س س Arabic amassar Portuguese

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# massage

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /məˈsɑ(d)ʒ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈmæsɑː(d)ʒ/
**Frequency rank:** 4295

## Meanings
1. The act of rubbing and pressing the body to relax muscles or relieve pain.
2. To rub and press someone's body to help them relax or ease pain.
3. To change figures or information slightly to make them look better.

## Examples
- After the long hike, a massage helped her sore legs.
- He gently massaged her aching shoulders.
- The company was accused of massaging its sales figures.

## Derived Forms
- automassage
- electromassage
- hydromassage
- massageable
- massagelike
- massager
- massagingly
- massagist
- massotherapy
- nonmassage
- nonmassaged
- otomassage

## Related Forms
- masseur
- masseuse

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: massage
- Root: مَسَّ
- Root: م س س
- Root: amassar

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
Massage comes 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. In present-day English its meanings include the act of rubbing and pressing the body to relax muscles or relieve pain, to rub and press someone's body to help them relax or ease pain, and to change figures or information slightly to make them look better. The historical chain runs through massage (French), مَسَّ (Arabic), م س س (Arabic), and amassar (Portuguese). Related and derived forms include masseur, masseuse, automassage, and electromassage.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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