mason: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

Traditionally, a mason (or stonemason) works primarily with stone and sometimes brick, often involving cutting, carving, and shaping. A bricklayer focuses on laying bricks and blocks with mortar. The terms are often used interchangeably now, especially in residential construction.

Primarily, yes. It can be used as a verb (meaning to build with stone or brick), but this usage is rare and somewhat archaic in modern English. The adjective form ('mason contractor') is also valid but less common than the noun.

The 'Freemason' meaning originated from medieval stonemasons' guilds. As cathedral building declined, these guilds evolved into social and philosophical societies that retained the symbolic tools and terminology of the original trade.

It is a thick glass jar used for home canning and preserving food, named after John Landis Mason who patented it in 1858. It has no direct connection to the building trade, though its sturdy construction is metaphorically apt.

A skilled craftsperson who works with and builds structures from stone, brick, or concrete.

Mason is usually neutral to formal in the craft sense; formal/organisational for the fraternal sense. in register.

Mason: in British English it is pronounced /ˈmeɪs(ə)n/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈmeɪsən/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.