mask play; masque
A theatrical performance where actors wear masks; often refers to traditional Japanese forms like 能 (Noh) or Western masques.
Noh is a representative Japanese mask play.
This masque was popular in 17th-century France.
Compound of 仮面 (kamen, 'mask') and 劇 (geki, 'drama, play'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows standard Sino-Japanese compounding patterns.