A large staff, made of the precious metals, and highly ornamented. It is nsed as an emblem of authority, and carried before certain public functionaries hy a mace-bearer. In many legislative bodies, the mace is employed as a visible symbol of the dlg-nity and collective authority of the house! In the house of lords and house of commons of the British parliament, it is laid upon the table when the house is in session. In the United States house of representatives, it is borne upright hy the sergeant-at-arms on extraordinary occasions, as when it is necessary to quell a disturbance or bring refractory members to order
Source: Black’s Law Dictionary 2nd Ed (1910)
