a mazer is a special type of wooden drinking vessel, a wide cup or shallow bowl without handles, with a broad flat foot and a knob or boss in the centre of the inside, known technically as the print or boss. they vary from simple pieces all in wood to those ornamented with metalwork, often in silver or silver-gilt. they use dense impervious woods such as maple, beech and walnut wood, and get their name from the spotted or birdseye marking on the wood (ger. "maser", spot, marking, especially on wood; "cf." "measles"), or possibly "maserle" as a name for "acer campestre". they are a north european medieval tradition, mostly made from the 11th (or earlier) to the 16th centuries.