mastery
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈmɑːs.t(ə.)ɹi/
ipa: /ˈmæs.tɚ.i/
Forms: form: masteries
form: masterie
Etymology: From Middle English maistery, maistrie, mastere, mastry, from Old French maistrie, equivalent to master + -y.
Senses: examples: text: If divided by mountains, they will fight for the mastery of the passages of the tops.
ref: c. 1610, Sir Walter Raleigh, The Misery of Invasive War:
text: The desert storm was riding in its strength; the travellers lay beneath the mastery of the fell simoom. Whirling wreaths and columns of burning wind, rushed around and over them.
ref: 1892, James Yoxall, chapter 5, in The Lonely Pyramid:
glosses: The position or authority of a master; dominion; command; supremacy; superiority.
examples: text: They were faire Ladies, till they fondly ſtriu’d / With th’Heliconian maides for mayſtery; / Of whom they ouer-comen, were depriu’d / Of their proud beautie, and th’one moyity / Transform’d to fiſh, for their bold ſurquedry, / But th’vpper halfe their hew retayned ſtill, / And their ſweet skill in wonted melody; / Which euer after they abuſd to ill, / T’allure weake traueillers, whom gotten they did kill.
ref: 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 31, pages 370–371:
text: The voice of them that shout for mastery.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 32:xxxii–18:
text: Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Corinthians 9:–25:
text: O, but to ha' gulled him / Had been a mastery.
ref: 1610 (first performance), Ben[jamin] Jonson, The Alchemist, London: […] Thomas Snodham, for Walter Burre, and are to be sold by Iohn Stepneth, […], published 1612, →OCLC, (please specify the Internet Archive page), (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
glosses: Superiority in war or competition; victory; triumph; preeminence.
examples: text: He […]could attain to a mastery in all languages.
ref: 1664, John Tillotson, “Sermon I. The Wisdom of Being Religious. Job XXVIII. 28.”, in The Works of the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson, Late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: […], London: […] B. Aylmer, […]; [a]nd W. Rogers, […], published 1696, →OCLC:
text: The learning and mastery of a tongue, being unpleasant in itself, should not be cumbered with other difficulties.
ref: 1693, [John Locke], “§173”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC:
text: At Tebay however, he began to get the mastery over these untoward conditions, and actually got back a little time up to Shap, after which all was plain sailing.
ref: 1941 November, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 484:
glosses: The act or process of mastering; the state of having mastered; expertise.
examples: text: […] pastimes of wrestling, and like maſteries betweene the Citizens of London and others of the Suburbes […]
ref: 1623, John Speed, The Historie of Great Britain Under the Conquests of the Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans, page 596:
text: Rury has given the word for some rare sport — a bout of games and masteries between me and Marcos Serkman to prove which is the better man.
ref: 1936, John Clayton, The Anger of the North, page 69:
text: Come, Paolo, we two have never held / A mastery between us — tell me out!
ref: 1929, Delphian Society, “Delphian Text”, in Paolo and Francesca, volume 7, page 441:
glosses: A contest for superiority.
examples: text: Ye welsh men..brake out vpon the Englysshe men in ye Bordour..and there made masteryes for a whyle.
ref: 1516, Robert Fabyan, New cronycles of Englande and of Fraunce:
text: That ye maye knowe..what masteryes they haue played.
ref: 1546, John Bale, The actes of Englysh votaryes:
text: By a number of odde speeches..you doo yet suppose to haue wrought a mastery.
ref: 1592, Angell Day, The English secretorie:
text: Why, thou cowardly knave, no stronger than a duck, Darest thou try masteries with me a-pluck.
ref: 1905, John Stephen Farmer, “Thersites”, in Six Anonymous Plays, page 212:
text: To accomplish this is a great mastery, a rare mastery: but it is an accomplishment that seems to have been Rowlandson's easily whenever he would.
ref: 1909, Selwyn Image, “The Serious Art of Thomas Rowlandson”, in The Burlington Magazine, volume 14, page 12:
text: And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully.
ref: 1910, John Merrill Davis, Striving for Masteries and Other Baccalaureate Sermons, page 5:
glosses: A masterly operation; a feat.
glosses: The philosopher's stone.
Derived terms: flipped mastery
mastery learning
nonmastery
premastery
self-mastery
Related terms: master