mascled

Definite, adjectival form derived from mascle (q.v.). In English it is probably derived directly from the noun (so OED), but MED notes as 'past participle' which may imply a verb 'to mascle', i.e. 'to decorate with mascles'; but no such English verb is known to MED or OED. The verb masken 'to ensnare in a net' is related, but comes from the noun mask (q.v.). On the other hand, Insular Latin and Anglo-French both had verbs equivalent in form, namely maculare and maculer (the Latin verb dates back to Classical Latin; the French derives from it). These verbs generally meant 'to stain, sully, mark, blemish, corrupt' etc.(see the basic meaning of mascle). DMLBS has maculatus/masculatus, past participle, with the present meaning of 'decorated with mascles', there defined as being covered in hollow lozenges (see mascle sense 2). AND gives the psp. of maculer ('maculez') with the sense 'stained, tainted' etc. However, it also has as an individual headword masclé (adj.) with the heraldic sense 'masculy, covered in mascules'; see also masclure of similar meaning. Therefore, despite the lack of citations, the sense probably existed for the AF word. As noted at mascle, it is interesting that, especially in the heraldic sense, Latin and Anglo-French forms often exhibit a non-etymological -s- (found in English mascle, versus historical Latin macula) which is attributable either to the influence of English mask (q.v.) and related words, or possibly to a germanic Frankish cognate *maskil.