masquerade costume
- noun
- /ˈmæskəreɪd ˈkɒstjuːm/
:
disfraz de máscara
- At the Halloween party, everyone was amazed by her elaborate masquerade costume that featured a beautiful mask and sparkling decorations.
Examples
-
Just as the masquerade costume conceals the identity of the dancer and reveals another world to the onlookers, so the visitor passing out of the masquerade and into the textile section of the exhibition may consider a similar role performed by certain types of African dress.
Academic text (2001) -
The masker is kept at a distance from the surrounding crowd with the help of attendants dressed in masquerade costumes of different types.
Academic text (1995) -
He wore a stunning masquerade costume that transformed him into a mysterious character for the night.
-
The charity ball required a formal masquerade costume, complete with an elegant mask and ornate clothing.
Synonyms
514
1.3
A set of clothes that makes someone look like a character used in plays or parties
160
3.7
Clothes or things you wear to hide who you are
10
5.6
A set of clothes worn to attract attention or to hide who you are
5
3.5
A costume people wear to hide who they are at a party
1
6.3
A costume with a mask worn to hide your identity
How Elaborate
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is fully compositional: 'masquerade' specifies the event/type and 'costume' names the garment, so the meaning 'a costume worn at a masquerade' is directly derivable from the parts. This noun–noun modification pattern is common across languages and standard in English, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
The phrase masquerade costume comes from old fancy parties called masquerades, where people wore a mask and a special costume to hide their faces and look like someone else. That's why masquerade costume means the clothes you wear to 'disguise' yourself at such a party.