master
Part of speech: adj
verb
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *meǵh₂-der.?
Proto-Indo-European *meh₂-der.?
Proto-Italic *magisteros
Latin magister, magistrum
Old French maistrebor.
▲
Latin magisterder.
Old English mǣġester
Middle English maister
English master
From Middle English maister, mayster, meister (noun) and maistren (verb), from Old English mǣster, mæġster, mæġester, mæġister, magister (“master”), from Latin magister (“chief, teacher, leader”), from Old Latin magester, from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s (as in magnus (“great”), also cognate of English much and mickle) + -ester/-ister (compare minister (“servant”)). Reinforced by Old French maistre, mestre (noun) and maistriier, maister (verb) from the same Latin source. Compare also Saterland Frisian Mäster (“master”), West Frisian master (“master”), Dutch meester (“master”), German Meister (“master”). Doublet of maestro, magister, and meister.
Inflected forms:
form: maistre
pos: adj
tags: alternative
archaic
form: Marse
pos: adj
tags: alternative
Caribbean
US
dialectal
obsolete
form: marse
pos: adj
tags: alternative
Caribbean
US
dialectal
obsolete
form: mas'r
pos: adj
tags: alternative
form: Master
pos: adj
tags: alternative
form: mastre
pos: adj
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: maister
pos: adj
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: mayster
pos: adj
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: Massa
pos: adj
tags: alternative
form: massa
pos: adj
tags: alternative
form: massah
pos: adj
tags: alternative
form: massy
pos: adj
tags: alternative
form: masta
pos: adj
tags: alternative
form: Mastah
pos: adj
tags: alternative
form: mastah
pos: adj
tags: alternative
form: mastuh
pos: adj
tags: alternative
form: measter
pos: adj
tags: alternative
UK
obsolete
pronunciation-spelling
form: mester
pos: adj
tags: alternative
dialectal
form: mister
pos: adj
tags: alternative
dialectal
form: masters
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: mastering
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: mastered
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: mastered
pos: verb
tags: past
form: maistre
pos: verb
tags: alternative
archaic
form: Marse
pos: verb
tags: alternative
Caribbean
US
dialectal
obsolete
form: marse
pos: verb
tags: alternative
Caribbean
US
dialectal
obsolete
form: mas'r
pos: verb
tags: alternative
form: Master
pos: verb
tags: alternative
form: mastre
pos: verb
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: maister
pos: verb
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: mayster
pos: verb
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: Massa
pos: verb
tags: alternative
form: massa
pos: verb
tags: alternative
form: massah
pos: verb
tags: alternative
form: massy
pos: verb
tags: alternative
form: masta
pos: verb
tags: alternative
form: Mastah
pos: verb
tags: alternative
form: mastah
pos: verb
tags: alternative
form: mastuh
pos: verb
tags: alternative
form: measter
pos: verb
tags: alternative
UK
obsolete
pronunciation-spelling
form: mester
pos: verb
tags: alternative
dialectal
form: mister
pos: verb
tags: alternative
dialectal
Senses:
gloss: Masterful.
pos: adj
tags: not-comparable
examples: a master performance
gloss: Main, principal or predominant.
pos: adj
tags: not-comparable
gloss: Highly skilled.
pos: adj
tags: not-comparable
examples: master batsman
In another minute she lay peaceful and motionless under the anæsthetic — a statue, immobile, yet expressionful, as though carved by some master hand.
gloss: Original.
pos: adj
tags: not-comparable
examples: master copy
gloss: To be a master.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
gloss: To become the master of; to subject to one's will, control, or authority; to conquer; to overpower; to subdue.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Obstinacy and willful neglects must be mastered, even though it cost blows.
Then Elzevir cried out angrily, 'Silence. Are you mad, or has the liquor mastered you? Are you Revenue-men that you dare shout and roister? or contrabandiers with the lugger in the offing, and your life in your hand. You make noise enough to wake folk in Moonfleet from their beds.'
gloss: To learn to a high degree of proficiency.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: It took her years to master the art of needlecraft.
gloss: To own; to possess.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: […]the wealth / That the world maſters.
gloss: To make a master copy of.
pos: verb
tags: especially
transitive
gloss: To earn a Master's degree.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
usually
examples: He mastered in English at the state college.
Derived words: masterstroke
master chief petty officer
master chief warrant officer
master eye
master gunnery sergeant
master joint
master reset
master seaman
master shot
master spirit
master stock
master vibrator
master warrant officer
bemaster
masterable
overmaster
overmasteringly
remaster
Translations: