What is Mask?
{{for|the mask used in [[job|jobs]] and [[hospital|hospitals]]|respirator}} [[File:Mosaic depicting theatrical masks of Tragedy and Comedy (Thermae Decianae).jpg|thumb|280px|[[Ancient Rome|Roman]] masks]] [[File:Three pictures of the same noh 'hawk mask' showing how the expression changes with a tilting of the head.jpg|thumb|250px|Three pictures of the same female mask showing how the expression changes with a tilting of the head. In these pictures, the mask was fixed to a wall with constant lighting, and only the camera moved. Japanese [[Noh]] theatre]] [[File:Mask Acrylic on Canvass.JPG|thumb|Mask (acrylic on canvas)]] [[File:Musee de la bible et Terre Sainte 001.JPG|thumb|180px|World's oldest surviving mask]] [[File:IdomaMask1.jpg|thumb|180px|African ritual mask, Idoma people, [[Nigeria]].]] [[File:Sp-flu-alberta-field.jpg|thumb|180px|Farmers protect themselves from [[influenza]] in [[Alberta]], Canada 1918.]] [[File:G20 V mask.jpg|thumb|180px|Behind the mask the individual disappears: Street protest, London 2009.]] A '''mask''' is a type of [[clothing]] which covers the [[face]]. It is similar to a [[veil]], but more close-fitting. == Uses == There are different reasons why people use masks.<ref name=Lommel>Lommel, Andreas 1970. ''Masks: their meaning and function''. Ferndale Editions, London.</ref> A person can use a mask so others do not know who they are (as when committing a [[crime]]). Or, a mask may keep someones face safe from harm (like a [[gas]] mask so harmful gases do not get into the [[lung]]s). There are many practical uses for masks in everyday life. Mostly, the masks used are ''semi-masks'' which cover only the bottom half of the face, the mouth and nose. An example is the use of masks in operating theatres, and by wood-workers. In [[surgery]], the purpose is to keep [[bacteria]] off the patient; in wood-working the purpose is to keep [[wood]] [[fibre]]s out of the [[lung]]s. In [[Venice|Venetian]] masks only the top half of the face is covered, to prevent recognition. [[Ice hockey]] mask