noun
mass
The amount of matter in an object.
The bowling ball has more mass than the tennis ball.
Etymology
Latin massa meant a lump or bulk. Physics uses the word for the amount of matter associated with that body rather than merely its visible size.
More examples
- We measure the sample's mass in grams.
- The two blocks have equal volumes but different masses.
- An object's mass stays the same when gravity changes.
Forms
mass · masses
Similar words
- weight
- Measures gravitational force on an object, not its matter.