Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The rubbing or kneading of parts of the body especially to aid circulation, relax the muscles, or provide sensual stimulation.
- n. An act or instance of such rubbing or kneading.
- v. To give a massage to.
- v. To treat by means of a massage.
- v. To coddle or cajole.
- v. To manipulate (data, for example): Pollsters massaged the numbers to favor their candidate.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An obsolete form of message.
- n. In therapeutics, the act or art of applying intermittent pressure and strain to the muscles and other accessible tissues of the patient. The means employed are rubbing, kneading, and light pounding, combined ordinarily with more or less additional stimulation of the skin, as by friction and slapping. This manipulation furthers the removal of lymph from the parts, which is especially needful when the lymphatic flow is sluggish through lack of muscular exercise; it apparently quickens the blood-circulation through the part, and furnishes gentle vasomotor exercise; it acts possibly as a direct trophic stimulus to muscular and sustentacular tissues; by stretching ligamentous structures it maintains or increases suppleness; in the abdomen it stimulates and aids peristalsis; and as a general stimulation of sensory nerves it may affect favorably the nutrition of the central nervous system. It is represented in the customs of many primitive peoples, and in a developed form constitutes a valuable resource of modern scientific therapeutics.
- In medicine, to treat by the process called massage.
Wiktionary
- n. 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.
- v. transitive To rub and knead (someone's body or a part of a body), to perform a massage on (somebody).
- v. transitive To manipulate (data, a document etc.) to make it more presentable or more convenient to work with.
- v. transitive To falsify (data or accounts).
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A rubbing or kneading of the body, especially when performed as a hygienic or remedial measure.
- v. (Med.) To treat by means of massage; to rub or knead.
WordNet 3.0
- v. manually manipulate (someone's body), usually for medicinal or relaxation purposes
- n. kneading and rubbing parts of the body to increase circulation and promote relaxation
- v. give a massage to
Etymologies
- From French massage, from masser ("to massage") + -age. (Wiktionary)
- French, from masser, to massage, from Arabic masaḥa, to stroke, anoint; see mšḥ in Semitic roots or massa, to touch; see mšš in Semitic roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Had the word massage existed at the time, speakers of English would no doubt have employed it instead to explain what they had seen or experienced.”
“When you examine the listings for various clinics and spas you can see that the term massage covers a large variety of styles of bodywork.”
“The most authentic massage is done with a venik or bundle of birch or oak twigs.”
The Huffington Post: Relaxation For Every Budget: New York Spa Getaways
“Partly, I do it because I am curious and because I feel like I need to understand the latest and greatest in health and healing -- and massage is right up there for me.”
The Huffington Post: Maria Rodale: Breaking News: Massage Is Good for You
“I'm totally undoing whatever good this massage is doing.”
“Chiropody also derived from the medical field, and licensed chiropodists were trained not only in massage, but in the anatomy of the foot.”
“One cannot receive a massage from a therapist who is not in the same room.”
Protesting Globalization, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty
“A four-hour workshop includes lessons in Swedish massage, deep-tissue techniques and trigger points.”
“Wow … The thing with RPattz and the whole ‘groin massage’ … Just … Wow.”
“Hotaling also calls an unnamed Tenderloin massage parlor a “slave camp.””
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘massage’.
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SPOR - Olympic glossary
hurdle, tempo, consortium, caption, mutual understanding, jury, radio, javelin, extra time, boxing, Lander, European and 521 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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Of Arabic Origin
Arabic loanwords in English are words acquired directly from Arabic or else indirectly by passing from Arabic into other languages and then into English. Most entered one or more of the Romance lan...
admiral, adobe, albatross, alchemy, alcohol, alcove, alembic, alfalfa, algebra, algorism, algorithm, alidade and 181 more...
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IMCO - EU nomenclature
includes words of the "Prodcom list"
abaca, abdominal, abrasive, absorbent, absorber, accelerator, accessory, account book, accumulator, acebutolol, acetaldehyde, acetamide and 4515 more...
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The -ages of Man(-age)
Trivet also has this list, which you should go see. And then I found this list, and this list...
manage, salvage, selvadge, savage, voyage, umbrage, entourage, homage, carriage, marriage, language, potage and 123 more...
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Sage advice
sage, sage advice, usage, sagebrush, passage, embassage, message, presage, Seven Sages of Rome, runer, massage, corsage and 48 more...
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touch
palp, tactile, brush, abut, bepaint, tinct, soupcon, graze, stroke, allude, nudge, epicritic and 67 more...
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sort of sexy
pressure, press, urgency, squeezing, influence, compel, push, tease, thrust, full, drive, urge on and 99 more...
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The Sog Collection
My big word list.
chaos, flaccid, empirical, flotsam, cacophony, grumble, assuage, awe, romance, mortality, coalesce, fortuitous and 3282 more...
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Beknownst1981's list
I love words, especially the ones I make up with my friends.
translucent meat ..., beknownst (knew), plethora, curmudgeon, wanderlust, actually, differentiate, bearded, hobbit feet, female, sexy time, librarian and 220 more...
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My Dogs' Words
treat, potty, outside, mommie, mommielina, mommierenee, kisses, yes, no, love, sit, down and 186 more...
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the physical experience
wank, snog, tendon, sinew, sauce shelf, pet, arse, astigmatism, bisexual, brassiere, breast, climax and 186 more...
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"letting go" words
words from the IE root orbh- and others words that change allegiance
orphan, robot, let, liege, allegiance, late, later, last, lassitude, alas, lenient, lenis and 41 more...
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Nami Spa
Words to describe our atmosphere, our services, our philosophy and the quality that we are always striving for.
massage, facial, quality, best, boston, south end, spa, salon, day spa, hair salon, wrap, treatment and 35 more...
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jannygirl's Words
definitely, scrumptious, smooth, rocket, memory, tangible, groove, massage, drastic, sweet, silly, reciprocal and 78 more...
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XX-age
ullage, barrage, scrimmage, cribbage, message, baggage, frottage, byddage, piccage, staffage, slippage, tonnage and 27 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for massage.

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