## 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
- Cause, Change & Process
- Actions & Processes

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