A costume ball or party where people wear masks and disguises; also means to pretend to be someone or something you're not.
From Spanish 'mascarada' and Italian 'mascherata,' derived from 'maschera' (mask); Venice's famous masked balls made masquerades popular in 17th-century Europe and entered English.
The word 'masquerade' captures something deeper than just wearing a costume—it's the idea of pretending to be someone else, which is why Phantom of the Opera has that famous ball scene that defines the whole story!
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