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The word "mass" has two main meanings in English. In one meaning, the noun "mass" is defined as "aggregate of matter." In this case, the root is the Greek "maza," which comes into the English language by way of the intermediary Latin term "massa."

In terms of the Church service, the root is the Latin noun "missa." The noun comes from the Latin verb "mittere," which means "to send." But the Latin term only dates back about 1,300-1,400 years in its use. Before that time, the term was "eucharistia," which is Greek for "giving of thanks." Its most common translation into English is "eucharist."

The Greek term was discarded, and the Latin term selected, under the influence of Gregory I (papacy, c. 540 - March 12, 604), who was Pope from September 3, 590 until his death. By the time of his papacy, the last Greek speakers had left Rome. The Pope therefore wanted to replace the Greek term with a term from Latin, which was the main spoken language of the time. The choice fell upon "missa."

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15y ago

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