Mazo

Mazo is a Spanish noun with several senses that share the idea of a heavier, consolidated object. In tools and hardware, un mazo is a mallet or hammer with a broad head, designed to strike without marring surfaces. Wooden or metal mazos are used in carpentry, joinery, and metalworking, where a precise but heavy blow is required. The term can also denote a blunt weapon or cudgel, especially in historical or martial contexts.

In games, mazo denotes the deck or pile of cards used in a card game. Players draw from or discard to the mazo, which may be shuffled or reshuffled during play.

In everyday speech, the phrase un mazo is used colloquially to express a large quantity or degree, similar to saying a lot or a ton, as in "un mazo de gente" (a lot of people) or "un mazo de trabajo" (a lot of work). The expression is common in many Spanish-speaking regions but may vary by dialect.

As a proper noun, Mazo can appear as a surname or as a place name in Spanish-speaking locales, though such uses are less common than the common noun senses.

Overall, mazo illustrates how a single term can denote both a physical object and a conceptual grouping, with usage that spans technical, recreational, and colloquial registers.