Massage
/ˈmæsɑːʒ/
Definitions
2 meaningsThe manipulation of soft tissues of the body to relieve tension or pain.
/ˈmæsɑːʒ/
The act of rubbing and kneading the body.
The spa offers a variety of massages, including Swedish and deep tissue.
💡 Simply: It's like when someone rubs and squeezes your muscles to make you feel better, like after you've been playing sports or sitting at a desk for a long time.
👶 For kids: A massage is when someone rubs your body to make you feel good and relaxed.
More Examples
A massage can help improve blood circulation.
After the marathon, a massage was exactly what he needed.
How It's Used
"She booked a massage to relieve her sore muscles after the workout."
"Therapeutic massage is often used to treat chronic pain."
To treat (a body or body part) by rubbing, pressing, and kneading.
/məˈsɑːʒ/
To rub and knead someone's body.
He massaged her temples to relieve her headache.
💡 Simply: To give someone a rubdown to make them feel good or to help their muscles feel better.
👶 For kids: To massage is to rub someone's body to make them feel better.
More Examples
The therapist will massage the knots out of your back.
She learned how to massage her own feet to reduce swelling.
How It's Used
"She massaged his shoulders to help him relax."
"The physical therapist massaged the patient's injured leg."
Idioms & expressions
massage the data
To manipulate information, often in a way that distorts or misrepresents it.
"The company was accused of massaging the data to show higher profits."
From French *massage* (1828), from French *masser* ('to knead'), from Arabic *massa* ('to touch, feel').
The word 'massage' came into use in the late 19th century, reflecting a growing interest in physical therapies.
Memory tip
Imagine someone gently kneads dough (body) to make it softer (relieve tension).