Home › Glossary › Letter V

vizard

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A mask or disguise, especially for the face—symbolizing concealment, performance, or identity in allegorical poetry.

Detailed Definition
“Vizard” conveys concealment—vizards at masque, vizarded truth. In poetry, it symbolizes deception or protection. The term’s archaic flavor suits Renaissance contexts. Poets use it to explore how identity shifts, where vizards enable freedom or falsehood, reinforcing themes of performance, revelation, and the face’s ambiguity in narrative and allegorical traditions.
Example
Example in poetry:
“He wore a vizard to the masque,” in a courtly intrigue; In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: “Take thou some new infection to thy eye, / And the rank poison of the old will die”—with vizards at the Capulet feast; “The vizard hid her tears”; “Truth needs no vizard”; “The vizard of night concealed lovers”; His vizard slipped, revealing sorrow.
Additional Notes
“Vizard” implies concealment for intrigue or protection; in masque or deception scenes, characters “don the vizard” to assume new identities, making it central to themes of appearance versus reality.
Also Known As
mask visor
Skip to main content