Mass can mean a large amount or number of something, or in physics, the amount of matter in an object. As an adjective, it describes things done on a large scale, like 'mass production'.
From Latin 'massa' meaning 'lump' or 'dough', through Old French. The physics meaning developed later to describe the 'amount of stuff' in that lump.
In everyday talk, 'mass' is about how big a pile is; in physics, it’s the deep property that makes things resist being pushed. That’s why astronauts in space feel weightless but still have mass—they’re still hard to start and stop.
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