Maßes

Maßes is a term that appears in German linguistic and historical contexts rather than as a distinct modern word with its own meaning. The base word Maß means a unit of measure, size, or extent, and its plural form is Maße. The form Maßes is encountered primarily as a historical or variant inflection used in the genitive singular of Maß. In standard modern German, the common genitive singular is des Maßes. Therefore, Maßes does not have an independent semantic sense in contemporary usage and is mainly of interest to scholars studying older texts or grammatical forms.

In practice, readers will see Maßes mainly when discussing the grammar of Maß or when quoting older writings that preserve archaic inflection patterns. Modern editors and dictionaries typically point readers toward des Maßes for the genitive singular and toward Maße for the plural, rather than treating Maßes as a separate entry with a unique meaning. The term thus serves as a historical note on German inflection rather than as a usable vocabulary item.

Related terms include Maß, the singular form for the concept of measurement, and Maße, the modern plural referring to measurements or dimensions. The word is also encountered in compound terms such as Maßkrug (beer mug) or Maßstab (scale or standard), where the base meaning of measure remains central.

See also: Maß, Maße, Maßkrug, Maßstab.