Massage and Message Are One Letter Apart
Massage is the rubbing of muscles to relieve tension. It is unrelated to message, and the two are among the most commonly confused words in English.
Massage is the manipulation of muscle and soft tissue by hand. One letter separates it from *message*, and autocorrect has produced a great many accidental invitations. The words are unrelated: massage came from French in the nineteenth century, message from Latin centuries earlier.
- Rubbing and kneading of the body. *A deep tissue massage.*
- To rub in this way. *He massaged his shoulder.*
- To alter figures dishonestly. *The numbers had been massaged.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | massage | A back massage. |
| Verb | massage | Massage the cream in. |
| Past | massaged | Massaged the figures. |
| Person | masseur | A qualified masseur. |
| Person | massage therapist | A massage therapist. |
How it is used in a sentence
- She books a massage every month.Countable.
- Massage the oil into the wood.The verb works outside the body too.
- Critics said the statistics had been massaged.Meaning adjusted to look better.
Kinds of massage
- Swedish — long gliding strokes, the standard Western style
- Deep tissue — slower, working on lower layers
- Sports massage — aimed at training and recovery
- Shiatsu — Japanese, using pressure points
- Lymphatic drainage — very light strokes, used after some surgery
From French *massage*, from *masser*, to knead, possibly from Arabic *massa*, to touch. It entered English in the 1870s along with the practice.
Masseur or massage therapist?
Massage therapist is the standard professional title in most English-speaking countries. Masseur and masseuse sound dated and are sometimes avoided.
What does *massaging the figures* mean?
Adjusting data presentation to make it look better without outright falsifying it. It is always a criticism.