To remove a mask from someone's face, or to reveal someone's true identity or real nature.
From 'un-' (prefix meaning to reverse) plus 'mask' (from Italian 'maschera' or Spanish 'máscara'). The metaphorical meaning of revealing truth developed in English by the 1600s.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, 'unmask' took on new literal and symbolic weight—people debated both the physical act and the metaphorical idea of revealing truth, showing how one word can capture an entire cultural moment.
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