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.
1
Masterful.
a master performance
2
Main, principal or predominant.
3
Highly skilled.
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.1895, Marshall Mather, Lancashire Idylls, page 39:
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.
1
To be a master.
2
To become the master of; to subject to one's will, control, or authority; to conquer; to overpower; to subdue.
Obstinacy and willful neglects must be mastered, even though it cost blows.1693, [John Locke], “(please specify the section number)”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC:
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.'[1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC:
3
To learn to a high degree of proficiency.
It took her years to master the art of needlecraft.
[…]the wealth / That the world maſters.c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 183, column 2:
5
Especially, Of a musical performance To make a master copy of.
Prepended to a boy's name or surname as a (now somewhat formal) form of address.
"I'm terribly sorry, Master Luke," apologized the droid.1995, Barbara Hambly, Children of the Jedi, page 81:
2
A religious teacher, often as an honorific title.
3
The title of the head of certain colleges and schools.
4
A master's degree.
5
A person holding a master's degree, as a title.
6
The title of the eldest son of a Scots lord.
The eldest son of Lord Forbes is known as the Master of Forbes.
7
The owner of a slave, in some literature.
8
BDSM, Lifestyle, Sexuality Used as the title of a dominant, especially a male one.
master
noun
Etymology
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.
Someone who has control over something or someone.
We are masters of the sea.1881, Benjamin Jowett, Thucydides:
Maſters commands come with a power reſiſtleſs / To ſuch as owe them abſolute ſubjection; / And for a life who will not change his purpoſe? / (So mutable are all the ways of men) / Yet this be ſure, in nothing to comply / Scandalous or forbidden in our Law.1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 83, lines 415–420:
2 more examples
When I have thus made myself master of a hundred thousand drachmas […].1712 November 23 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “WEDNESDAY, November 13, 1712”, in The Spectator, number 535; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume VI, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC, page 97:
The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on a certain afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track.[…]Their example was followed by others at a time when the master of Mohair was superintending in person the docking of some two-year-olds, and equally invisible.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, pages 58–59:
2
The owner of an animal or slave.
3
Nautical, Transport The captain of a merchant ship; a master mariner.
Master at two-and-twenty, and married at twenty-three—1896, Rudyard Kipling, The Mary Gloster:
No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or otherwise his man would be there with a message to say that his master would shortly join me if I would kindly wait.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 46:
6
An expert at something.
Mark Twain was a master of fiction.
But that which chiefly distinguishes Addison from Swift, from Voltaire, from almost all the other great masters of ridicule, is the grace, the nobleness, the moral purity, which we find even in his merriment.1843 July, [Thomas Babington Macaulay], “Art. VII—The Life of Joseph Addison. By Lucy Aikin.”, in The Edinburgh Review, number CLVII, page 231:
3 more examples
No care is taken to improve young men in their own language, that they may thoroughly understand and be masters of it.1693, [John Locke], “§189”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC:
Darth Vader: I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you I was but the learner; now I am the master. Obi-Wan Kenobi: Only a master of evil, Darth.1977, George Lucas, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope:
A turning point came earlier this year. In January 2000, the local Qigong master who treated me asked me to find Falun Gong material on the Internet for him.2001, “People with Cancer”, in Falun Gong Stories: A Journey to Ultimate Health, Golden Lotus Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 62:
7
A tradesman who is qualified to teach apprentices.
Where there are little Maſters and Miſſes in a Houſe, they are uſually great Impediments to the Diverſions of the Servants;1731 (date written; published 1745), [Jonathan] Swift, Directions to Servants […], London: […] R[obert] Dodsley, […], and M. Cooper, […], →OCLC:
11
A master's degree; a type of postgraduate degree, usually undertaken after a bachelor degree.
She has a master in psychology.
12
A person holding such a degree.
He is a master of marine biology.
13
The original of a document or of a recording.
The band couldn't find the master, so they re-recorded their tracks.
14
Entertainment, Lifestyle, MusicBroadly The copyright in a sound recording.
Many modern recording artists value owning their masters.
Law A parajudicial officer (such as a referee, an auditor, an examiner, or an assessor) specially appointed to help a court with its proceedings.
The case was tried by a master, who concluded that the plaintiffs were the equitable owners of the property.[…]
17
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences A device that is controlling other devices or is an authoritative source.
a master wheel
a master database
18
Freemasonry, Lifestyle A person holding an office of authority, especially the presiding officer.
19
Broadly A person holding a similar office in other civic societies.
20
Abbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of master key.
The use of masters and submasters will enable suites of rooms to be controlled by one key.2020, Jane M. Wiggins, Facilities Manager's Desk Reference, page 517: