massa

mass

noun MAHS-sah Less Common

Origin: from Latin 'massa'

Also means

crowd

Usage Note

Massa means a physical mass, but the very common phrase una massa di means 'a load of' or 'loads of', as in una massa di gente ('a crowd of people'). The plural masse often refers to 'the masses' in a social sense. Note the double s.

Examples

"C'era una massa di gente."

Natural Translation

There was a crowd of people.

Literal Translation

There-was a mass of people.

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