- [countable]
a large decorated stick, carried as a sign of authority by an official such as a mayor 权杖 CultureIn the British House of Commons the mace is a rod decorated with silver and gold that is kept as symbol of the authority of the Speaker. - [countable]
a large heavy stick that has a head with metal points on it, used in the past as a weapon 钉头锤；狼牙棒（古代兵器） - [uncountable]
the dried outer layer that covers nutmegs (= the hard nuts of a tropical tree), used in cooking as a spice 肉豆蔻干皮，肉豆蔻种衣（烹调香料）
Word Originsenses 1 to 2 Middle English: from Old French masse ‘large hammer’.sense 3 Middle English macis (taken as plural), via Old French from Latin macir.