Definition of "mask"

Just a few days ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—the CDC—issued new mask guidelines.Under these new guidelines, most Americans in most of the country can now be mask free.And based on the projections, more of the country will reach that point across the next couple of weeks.

2022 March 1, Joe Biden, “Remarks of President Joe Biden – State of the Union Address As Prepared for Delivery”, in whitehouse.gov‎, archived from the original on 02 March 2022

Grouchy and wary and tender, he’s a sozzled hedonist seemingly out for himself—though his party-animal facade is just a mask for his bottomless generosity.

2021 October 26, Stephanie Zacharek, “The 19 Most Underrated Movies on Netflix”, in Time‎

Come then, pure hands, and bear the head⁠That sleeps or wears the mask of sleep,⁠And come, whatever loves to weep,And hear the ritual of the dead.

1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], canto XVIII, page 30

This thought might lead me through the world's vain mask.

1667, John Milton, “(please specify the book number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […]; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873,

the mask that has the arm of the Indian queen

1880, George Washington Cable, The Grandissimes: A Story of Creole Life

Jones, now taking the mask by the hand, fell to entreating her in the most earnest manner, to acquaint him where he might find Sophia; and when he could obtain no direct answer, he began to upbraid her gently […]

1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

They must all be masked and vizarded

c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act IV, scene vi]

Masking the business from the common eye

c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act III, scene i]

The opponent must not be able to recognize when we inhale and when we exhale. We achieve this by breathing with the diaphragm and we do not raise the shoulders while breathing. In particular we must mask when we are out of breath.

1998, Rudolf Jakhel, Modern Sports Karate: Basics of Techniques and Tactics, Meyer & Meyer Sport

Many autistic people have language and cognitive skills; [and] they mask their autism, cover up social discomfort, and work hard to be someone they are not, so people often see them as “fitting in” just fine.

2020, Lisa Morgan, Mary Donahue, Living with PTSD on the Autism Spectrum: Insightful Analysis with Practical Applications, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, page 118

Come Pentecost as quickly as it will, Some five and twenty years, and then we mask’d.

c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act I, scene v]

noble Gentilmen / who daunced & masked wt thes fayer ladyes & gentillwomen

1641, George Cavendish, Thomas Wolsey, Late Cardinall, his Lyffe and Deathe

Dr. Shelita Dattani, director of professional affairs at the Canadian Pharmacists Association, says […] . “The efforts that we’re taking to reduce the spread of COVID are working … people are masking and distancing and staying away from each other and using hand hygiene, so I think all of these efforts combined are contributing to lower rates.”

2020 December 30, Jaren Kerr, “Flu almost non-existent this year as coronavirus cases rise across Canada”, in The Globe and Mail‎

Ioue sometime maſked in a ſhepheards weede,And by thoſe ſteps that he hath ſcal’d the heauens,May we become immortall like the Gods.

c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, (please specify the page)

Masking is exhausting and some autistics require copious amounts of time afterwards to recover from hiding who they are and pretending to be someone they aren't. Even when autistics mask they don't always pass fully as an NT person.

2018, Sally Cat, PDA by PDAers: From Anxiety to Avoidance and Masking to Meltdowns, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, page 86

So, masking seems to be a very poor explanation for the difference in gender diagnosis of autism. In particular, masking requires theory of mind. How can autistic people successfully mask if they struggle with this ability?

2021, Yenn Purkis, Wenn B. Lawson, The Autistic Trans Guide to Life, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, page 132

That is, the lower nibble (the 4 bits 1010 = A) has been masked to zero. This is because ANDing anything with a zero produces a zero, while ANDing any bit with a 1 leaves the bit unchanged […]

1993, Richard E. Haskell, Introduction to computer engineering, page 287

Some hardware interrupts can be masked, or disabled; that is, the CPU is told to ignore them.

1998, Rick Grehan, Robert Moote, Ingo Cyliax, Real-Time Programming: A Guide to 32-bit Embedded Development, page 199