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mascot

  (măs'kŏt', -kət) pronunciation
n.

A person, animal, or object believed to bring good luck, especially one kept as the symbol of an organization such as a sports team.

[French mascotte, sorcerer's charm, mascot, from Provençal mascoto, sorcery, fetish, from masco, witch, ultimately from Medieval Latin masca, mask, specter, witch.]

WORD HISTORY   A giant strutting bird leading a cheer at the homecoming game may seem a far cry from a witch fashioning a charm or spell, but these two figures are related historically in the development of the word mascot. Mascot came into English as a borrowing of the French word mascotte, meaning “mascot, charm.” The English word is first recorded in 1881 shortly after the French word, itself first recorded in 1867, was popularized by the opera La Mascotte, performed in December 1880. The French word in turn came from the Provençal word mascoto, “piece of witchcraft, charm, amulet,” a feminine diminutive of masco, “witch.” This word can probably be traced back to Medieval Latin masca, “witch, specter.” Thus for all their apparent differences, yesterday's witches and today's cuddly mascots can be seen in the same light, as agents working their respective magic to bring about a desired outcome.


 
 

The word ‘mascot’ often implies a strong personal link between the luck-bringing object (which may be quite insignificant in itself) and its owner. Edward Lovett noted mascots carried by soldiers in the First World War: ‘left-handed’ whelk shells; wool gollywogs; a carved amber bead; a farthing with a hole in it, sewn to one's left brace over one's heart; a little gold Oriental figure; a Chinese coin; a metal button; a domino with ten dots; a cornelian pendant. Mascots from the same war in the Horniman Museum (London) and the Imperial War Museum include figures of pigs, cats, and monkeys, holed stones, a mandrake, and an amber heart. Strong trust was placed in these objects (Lovett, 1925: 10-15, 18, 30, 34, 41-3, 70-2; Ettlinger, 1939: 152-62).

Mass-produced lucky charms are hung on cars or worn as jewellery. Some draw on foreign traditions, such as the New Zealand tikis and greenstone brooches, Italian horns and hunchbacks, and African copper bangles already being used in London in 1908, alongside British symbols such as miniature horseshoes and pigs, and natural objects such as coal, fossils, and sheep's or rabbit's bones (Folklore 19 (1908), 288-303). In 1939, a London clergyman noted sadly that a ‘almost every' woman at a church Mothers’ Tea had a charm in her handbag, among them ‘a tiny green pig, a black cat, a black metal boot, a silver slipper, several hideous imps and idols, and the pentacle of the medieval sorcerers… one had preserved a bag-wash ticket, because it had on it the number 666!’ He had also read in the press that actors, boxers, airmen, jockeys, and others had mascots, which included ‘an ivory hunchback, a hare's foot, an uncut amethyst, a coffin nail, a double walnut, a small jade pig, a meteorite, the knuckle-bone of a pig, a penny that had closed the eye of a corpse’ (Balleine, 1939: 6-7).

See also COINS, LUCKY BEAN, LUCKY BONE.

 
Word Tutor: mascot
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A person, animal, or thing thought to bring good luck by being present.

pronunciation The team mascot was dressed in a dragon suit.

 
Wikipedia: mascot


Millie, once costumed character mascot of the City of Brampton, is now the Brampton Arts Council's representative.
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Millie, once costumed character mascot of the City of Brampton, is now the Brampton Arts Council's representative.
While the Pets.com puppet mascot was enormously popular, spawning its own merchandise, its popularity didn't boost sales.
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While the Pets.com puppet mascot was enormously popular, spawning its own merchandise, its popularity didn't boost sales.

A mascot – originally a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – now includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fictional spokespeople for consumer products, such as the rabbit used in advertising and marketing for the General Mills Trix brand of breakfast cereal.

Sports teams widely have mascots, especially at university and school level in the United States, where teams are often identified by their mascot. Team mascots will typically make a regular appearance at games and related events, while logos and merchandise can often bear the mascot's image. In many instances the mascot corresponds with the team name. Sometimes the mascot is for the school itself rather than just a single team, such as Rowdy the Roadrunner, the mascot of the University of Texas at San Antonio. Mascots are not always animals; characters may be fantasy creatures (Deamon Deacon), people, or inanimate objects (Mr. Met or Vince and Larry, the Crash Test Dummies).

The term mascot can also refer to a costumed character based on the character design, used in public appearances. The terms are generally interchangeable. One might consider the actor in Mickey Mouse character costume to be a mascot for the Walt Disney Company, but supporting characters such as Goofy or Donald Duck, are commonly referred to as costumed characters or actors in character costumes.

Etymology

The word mascot has been traced back to a dialectic use in Provence and Gascony, where it was used to describe anything which brought luck to a household. The suggestion that the word is derived from masqu (meaning masked or concealed), the Provincial French for a child born with a caul, in allusion to the lucky destiny of such children, is improbable.

The word was first popularized in 1880, when French composer Edmond Audran wrote a popular comic operetta titled La Mascotte. However, it had been in use in France long before this, as French slang among gamblers, derived from the Occitan word masco, meaning witch (perhaps from Portuguese mascotto, meaning witchcraft), and also mascoto, meaning spell.

Audran's operetta was so popular that it was translated into English as The Mascot, introducing into the English language a word for any animal, person, or object that brings good luck. The word with this definition was then incorporated into many other languages, although often in the French form mascotte.

Choices and indentities

A tired costumed character mascot taking a break. It is traditional to avoid showing the unmasked faces of performers.
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A tired costumed character mascot taking a break. It is traditional to avoid showing the unmasked faces of performers.
"Clutch the Bear," the costumed character mascot for the NBA's Houston Rockets, with fans.
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"Clutch the Bear," the costumed character mascot for the NBA's Houston Rockets, with fans.
The goat mascot and Goat Major of the Royal Regiment of Wales.
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The goat mascot and Goat Major of the Royal Regiment of Wales.

Often the choice of mascot reflects a desired quality; a common example of this is the fighting spirit, in which a competitive nature is personified by warriors or predatory animals. Mascots may also symbolize a local or regional trait, such as the Dallas Cowboys, which refers to the Texan ranching tradition, or the Nebraska Cornhuskers, whose mascot is Herbie Husker (a man wearing overalls and a cowboy hat with corn husks coming out one pocket). In instances where the traditional mascot is specifically male, all-female athletic teams may adopt a variation of the mascot, such as the University of Wyoming Cowboys, whose female teams are called the Cowgirls.

Mascots are not exclusively anthropomorphized animals or personifications of human character traits. For example, Stanford University's sports teams are named after the color cardinal, and its mascot is The Tree.

In the United States, controversy surrounds some mascot choices, especially those of human likenesses. Mascots based on Native American tribes are particularly contentious, as many argue that they constitute offensive exploitations of an oppressed culture. However, such debates are not unique to Native American mascots: Alfred University, a school of approximately 2,000 students in Western New York has the Saxon as its mascot, represented as a charging knight in armor, and intended to symbolize strength and courage. Others protest that the Saxon represents male chauvinism.

Famous mascots outside the U.S. include the Australian McHammerhead, the Cronulla Sharks Rugby League mascot; Razorback Jack, the West Sydney Razorbacks Basketball mascot; and Syd, the Sydney AFL Club Mascot.

Some teams have unofficial mascots that may be fans identified with the team. The New York Yankees, for example, have a hardcore fan known as Freddy Sez who is considered a mainstay at Yankee Stadium and unofficial mascot of the team. Former Toronto Blue Jays mascot BJ Birdy was a costume created by a random fan; after he jumped onto Exhibition Place field, receiving positive reactions from fans, the team hired him to perform regularly for more than a decade.

Military mascots

Main article: Military mascot

Mascots are also popular in military units. For example, the United States Marine Corps uses the bald eagle as a formal emblem; the bulldog is also popularly associated with the U.S. Marines.

Many regiments of the British Army have a live animal mascot which may appear on parades, including a ram for the 95th Derbyshire Regiment, an Irish Wolfhound for the Irish Guards, a Shetland pony for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, and a goat for the Royal Regiment of Wales. Other British military mascots include a pair of drummer horses, an antelope, and a ferret.

The Norwegian Royal Guard adopted an Emperor Penguin named Niles Olav as its mascot on the occasion of a visit to Edinburgh by its regimental band. The (very large) penguin remains resident at Edinburgh Zoo and has been formally promoted by one rank on the occasion of each subsequent visit to Britain by the band or other detachments of the Guard. Regimental Sergeant Major Olav was awarded the Norwegian Army's Long Service and Good Conduct medal at a ceremony in 2005.

See also

External links

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Translations: Mascot

Dansk (Danish)
n. - maskot, lykkedyr

Nederlands (Dutch)
mascotte

Français (French)
n. - mascotte

Deutsch (German)
n. - Maskottchen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - μασκότ, οτιδήποτε φέρνει γούρι ή τύχη

Italiano (Italian)
mascotte

Português (Portuguese)
n. - mascote (f)

Русский (Russian)
талисман

Español (Spanish)
n. - mascota

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - maskot

中文(简体) (Chinese (Simplified))
福神, 吉祥的东西

中文(繁體) (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 福神, 吉祥的東西

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 마스코트, 행운을 상징하는 물건

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - マスコット

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) ميمون الطالع‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮קמיע‬


 
 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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