mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment, and often employed for rituals and rites. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes, ...

is a covering worn on the face, or an object depicting a face. Mask may also refer to:

Technology

Computing

Mask (computing) In computer science, a mask or bitmask is data that is used for bitwise operations, particularly in a bit field. Using a mask, multiple bits in a byte, nibble, Word (computer architecture), word, etc. can be set either on or off, or inverted from ...

, in computer science, a bit pattern used to extract information from another bit pattern **

Affinity mask An affinity mask is a bit mask indicating what processor(s) a thread or process should be run on by the scheduler of an operating system. Setting the affinity mask for certain processes running under Windows can be useful as there are several ...

, a bit mask indicating what processor a thread or process should be run on **

Image mask In computer science, a mask or bitmask is data that is used for bitwise operations, particularly in a bit field. Using a mask, multiple bits in a byte, nibble, word, etc. can be set either on or off, or inverted from on to off (or vice versa) in ...

, applied to digital images to "cut-out" the background or other unwanted features **

umask umask is a shell command that reports or sets the mask value that limits the file permissions for newly created files in many Unix and Unix-like file systems. A system call with the same name, , provides access to the mask value stored in the ...

, the default permission setting for new files on UNIX systems

Other technologies

Photomask A photomask (also simply called a mask) is an opaque plate with transparent areas that allow light to shine through in a defined pattern. Photomasks are commonly used in photolithography for the production of integrated circuits (ICs or "chips") ...

, used to create the circuit layers in IC fabrication * Front-end mask, an automobile accessory *

Shadow mask A shadow is a dark area on a surface where light from a light source is blocked by an object. In contrast, shade occupies the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross-section of a shadow is a two-dimensional ...

, a technology used to manufacture cathode ray tube televisions that produce color images *

Spectral mask In telecommunications, a spectral mask, also known as a channel mask or transmission mask, is a mathematically defined set of lines applied to the levels of radio (or optical Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and pro ...

, a mathematically defined set of lines applied to the levels of radio transmissions in telecommunications

Arts and media

Film and television

* ''Mask'' (1985 film), a film directed by Peter Bogdanovich * ''Mask, the'' (1994 film), a film starring Jim Carrey * ''M.A.S.K.'' (franchise), a media franchise comprising toys, animated series, and other media * ''M.A.S.K.'' (TV series), an animated television series, part of the ''M.A.S.K.'' media franchise * ''Mask'' (2015 TV series), a South Korean television series * ''Mask'' (2018 film), a Bengali film directed by Rajiv Biswas * ''Mask'' (2019 film), a Malayalam film directed by Sunif Hanif * ''Masks'' (1929 film), a German film directed by Rudolf Meinert * ''Masks'' (1987 film), a French film directed by Claude Chabrol * ''Masked'' (film), a 1920 Western starring Hoot Gibson * "Masks" (''Star Trek: The Next Generation''), a 1994 seventh season episode of the TV series ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' *

Masked (The Secret Circle) "Masked" is the 7th episode of the first season of the CW television series '' The Secret Circle'', and the series' 7th episode overall. It was aired on October 27, 2011. The episode was written by Michelle Lovretta and it was directed by Ch ...

, an episode of the TV series The Secret Circle

Other fiction

* Mask (''Forgotten Realms''), a deity in the ''Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms'' campaign setting * ''Masks'' (''Angel'' comic), a comic based on the ''Angel'' television series *

Mask (DC Comics) The Mask is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. Created by writer William Moulton Marston and artist Harry G. Peter, the character debuted ...

, a fictional DC Comics character * Masks, an eight issue mini series by

Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...

* Mask De Mascline, a fictional character from ''

Bleach Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color from (i.e. to whiten) fabric or fiber (in a process called bleaching) or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically t ...

Music

* ''Mask'' (Aco album), 2006 * ''Mask'' (Bauhaus album), 1981 * ''Mask'' (Fanatic Crisis album), 1996 * ''Mask'' (Roger Glover album), 1984 * ''Mask'' (Vangelis album), 1985 * "Mask" (Dream song), 2021 * "Mask" (Ayumi Hamasaki song), 2022 * "Mask", a song by James from the album ''

Living in Extraordinary Times ''Living in Extraordinary Times'' is the 15th studio album by British rock band James. It was released on 3 August 2018, through Infectious Music. A few months after the release of the band's 14th studio album, ''Girl at the End of the World'' i ...

'' * "Masks", a song by Prodigal from the album ''

Electric Eye An electric eye is a photodetector used for detecting obstruction of a light beam. An example is the door safety system used on garage door openers that use a light transmitter and receiver at the bottom of the door to prevent closing if there i ...

'' * Mask, a 1980s rock band whose vocalist was

José Fors José Fors Ferro (born 30 July 1958) is a Mexican singer and artist best known as the leading member of the bands Cuca and Forseps. Biography Fors was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1958. At the age of three he and his family moved to Miami, Florid ...

Other arts

Masking (art) In art, craft, and engineering, masking is the use of materials to protect areas from change, or to focus change on other areas. This can describe either the techniques and materials used to control the development of a work of art by ''protecti ...

, materials used to protect portions of a work from unintended change, such as masking tape, frisket, and stencils *

Masking (illustration) Masking (or the masking effect) is a visual style used in comics, first described by American cartoonist Scott McCloud in his book '' Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art''. McCloud argues that characters with simple but recognizable designs ...

, a drawing technique that originated in Japan

Other uses

* "Mask", nickname of Charles Lewis Jr. (1963–2009), co-founder of clothing line TapouT * MASK, an

MI5 MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), officially the Security Service, is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Gov ...

operation (1934–1937) that decrypted Communist International radio communications * Mask, Mazandaran, a village in Mazandaran Province, Iran * Mask, South Khorasan, a village in South Khorasan Province, Iran *

Lough Mask Lough Mask () is a limestone lake of about in Counties Mayo and Galway, Ireland, north of Lough Corrib. Lough Mask is the middle of the three lakes, which empty into the Corrib River, through Galway, into Galway Bay. Lough Carra flows into ...

, a lake in Mayo County, Ireland