Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Master

Mast′er

,
Noun.
(Naut.)
A vessel having (so many) masts; – used only in compounds;
as, a two-
master
.

Mas′ter

(mȧs′tẽr)
,
Noun.
[OE.
maistre
,
maister
, OF.
maistre
,
mestre
, F.
maître
, fr. L.
magister
, orig. a double comparative from the root of
magnus
great, akin to Gr.
μέγας
. Cf.
Maestro
,
Magister
,
Magistrate
,
Magnitude
,
Major
,
Mister
,
Mistress
,
Mickle
.]
1.
A male person having another living being so far subject to his will, that he can, in the main, control his or its actions; – formerly used with much more extensive application than now.
(a)
The employer of a servant.
(b)
The owner of a slave.
(c)
The person to whom an apprentice is articled.
(d)
A sovereign, prince, or feudal noble; a chief, or one exercising similar authority.
(e)
The head of a household.
(f)
The male head of a school or college.
(g)
A male teacher.
(h)
The director of a number of persons performing a ceremony or sharing a feast.
(i)
The owner of a docile brute, – especially a dog or horse.
(j)
The controller of a familiar spirit or other supernatural being.
2.
One who uses, or controls at will, anything inanimate;
as, to be
master
of one’s time
.
Shak.
Master
of a hundred thousand drachms.
Addison.
We are
masters
of the sea.
Jowett (Thucyd.).
3.
One who has attained great skill in the use or application of anything;
as, a
master
of oratorical art
.
Great
masters
of ridicule.
Macaulay.
No care is taken to improve young men in their own language, that they may thoroughly understand and be
masters
of it.
Locke.
4.
A title given by courtesy, now commonly pronounced
mĭster
, except when given to boys; – sometimes written
Mister
, but usually abbreviated to
Mr.
5.
A young gentleman; a lad, or small boy.
Where there are little
masters
and misses in a house, they are impediments to the diversions of the servants.
Swift.
6.
(Naut.)
The commander of a merchant vessel; – usually called
captain
. Also, a commissioned officer in the navy ranking next above ensign and below lieutenant; formerly, an officer on a man-of-war who had immediate charge, under the commander, of sailing the vessel.
7.
A person holding an office of authority among the Freemasons, esp. the presiding officer; also, a person holding a similar office in other civic societies.
Little masters
,
certain German engravers of the 16th century, so called from the extreme smallness of their prints.
–
Master in chancery
,
an officer of courts of equity, who acts as an assistant to the chancellor or judge, by inquiring into various matters referred to him, and reporting thereon to the court.
–
Master of arts
,
one who takes the second degree at a university; also, the degree or title itself, indicated by the abbreviation M. A., or A. M.
–
Master of the horse
,
the third great officer in the British court, having the management of the royal stables, etc. In ceremonial cavalcades he rides next to the sovereign.
–
Master of the rolls
,
in England, an officer who has charge of the rolls and patents that pass the great seal, and of the records of the chancery, and acts as assistant judge of the court.
Bouvier.
Wharton.
–
Past master
,
(a)
one who has held the office of master in a lodge of Freemasons or in a society similarly organized.
(b)
a person who is unusually expert, skilled, or experienced in some art, technique, or profession; – usually used with
at
or
of
.
–
The old masters
,
distinguished painters who preceded modern painters; especially, the celebrated painters of the 16th and 17th centuries.
–
To be master of one's self
,
to have entire self-control; not to be governed by passion.
–
To be one's own master
,
to be at liberty to act as one chooses without dictation from anybody.
☞ Master, signifying chief, principal, masterly, superior, thoroughly skilled, etc., is often used adjectively or in compounds; as, master builder or master-builder, master chord or master-chord, master mason or master-mason, master workman or master-workman, master mechanic, master mind, master spirit, master passion, etc.
Throughout the city by the
master
gate.
Chaucer.
Master joint
(Geol.)
,
a quarryman's term for the more prominent and extended joints traversing a rock mass.
–
Master key
,
a key adapted to open several locks differing somewhat from each other; figuratively, a rule or principle of general application in solving difficulties.
–
Master lode
(Mining)
,
the principal vein of ore.
–
Master mariner
,
an experienced and skilled seaman who is certified to be competent to command a merchant vessel.
–
Master sinew
(Far.)
,
a large sinew that surrounds the hough of a horse, and divides it from the bone by a hollow place, where the windgalls are usually seated.
–
Master singer
.
See
Mastersinger
.
–
Master stroke
,
a capital performance; a masterly achievement; a consummate action;
as, a
master stroke
of policy
.
–
Master tap
(Mech.)
,
a tap for forming the thread in a screw cutting die.
–
Master touch
.
(a)
The touch or skill of a master
.
Pope.
(b)
Some part of a performance which exhibits very skillful work or treatment.
“Some master touches of this admirable piece.”
Tatler.
–
Master work
,
the most important work accomplished by a skilled person, as in architecture, literature, etc.; also, a work which shows the skill of a master; a masterpiece.
–
Master workman
,
a man specially skilled in any art, handicraft, or trade, or who is an overseer, foreman, or employer.

Mas′ter

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Mastered
;
p. pr. vb. n.
Mastering
.]
1.
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.
Locke.
2.
To gain the command of, so as to understand or apply; to become an adept in;
as, to
master
a science
.
3.
To own; to posses.
[Obs.]
The wealth
That the world
masters
.
Shakespeare

Mas′ter

,
Verb.
I.
To be skillful; to excel.
[Obs.]

Webster 1828 Edition

Master

M`ASTER

,
Noun.
[L. magister, compounded of the root of magis, major, greater.]
1.
A man who rules, governs or directs either men or business. A man who owns slaves is their master; he who has servants is their master; he who has apprentices is their master; he who has apprentices is their master, as he has the government and direction of them. The man who superintends and directs any business, is master, or master workman.
O thou my friend, my genius, come along,
Thou master of the poet and the song.
Nations that want protectors, will have masters.
2.
A director, head, or chief manager; as the master of a feast.
3.
The owner; proprietor; with the idea of governing. The master of a house may be the owner, or the occupant, who has a temporary right of governing it.
It would be believed that he rather took the horse for his subject, than his master.
4.
A lord; a ruler; one who has supreme dominion.
Caesar, the world's great master and his own.
5.
A chief; a principal; as the master root of a plant.
One master passion swallows up the rest.
6.
One who has possession, and the power of controlling or using at pleasure.
When I have made myself master of a hundred thousand drachmas--
7.
The commander of a merchant ship.
8.
In ships of war, an officer who takes rank immediately after the lieutenants,and navigates the ship under the direction of the captain.
9.
The director of a school; a teacher; an instructor.
In this sense the word is giving place to the more appropriate words teacher, instructor and preceptor; at least it is so in the United States.
10. One uncontrolled.
Let every man be master of his time.
11. An appellation of respect.
Master doctor, you have brought those drugs.
12. An appellation given to young men.
Where there are little masters and misses in a house--
13. A man eminently or perfectly skilled in any occupation, art or science. We say, a man is master of his business; a great master of music, of the flute or violin; a master of his subject, &c.
14. A title of dignity in colleges and universities; as Master of Arts.
15. The chief of a society; as the Grand Master of Malta, of free-masons, &c.
16. The director of ceremonies at public places, or on public occasions.
17. The president of a college.
Master in chancery, an assistant of the lord chancellor, chosen from among the barristers to sit in chancery, or at the rolls.
To be master of one's self, to have the command or control of one's own passions.
The word master has numerous applications, in all of which it has the sense of director, chief or superintendent.
As a title of respect given to adult persons, it is pronounced mister; a pronunciation which seems to have been derived from some of the northern dialects. [supra.]

M`ASTER

,
Verb.
I.
To conquer; to overpower; to subdue; to bring under control.
Obstinacy and willful neglect must be mastered, even though it costs blows.
Evil customs must be mastered by degrees.
1.
To execute with skill.
I will not offer that which I cannot master.
2.
To rule; to govern.
--And rather father thee than master thee. [Not used.]

M`ASTER

,
Verb.
I.
To be skillful; to excel.

Definition 2024

Master

Master

See also: master, máster, and Mäster

English

Alternative forms

Noun

Master ‎(plural Masters)

  1. Prefix to a boy's name or surname.
    • 1995, Barbara Hambly, Children of the Jedi, page 81
      "I'm terribly sorry, Master Luke," apologized the droid.
  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 [e.g. the eldest son of Lord Forbes is known as the Master of Forbes]
  7. The owner of a slave, in some literature.

Proper noun

Master

  1. (Wicca) One of the triune gods of the Horned God in Wicca alongside the Father and Sage and representing a boy or a young man
    • 2002, A. J. Drew, Wicca for Couples: Making Magick Together, page 89
      ...and our Lord as Master, Father, and Sage.
    • 2003, A. J. Drew, Patricia Telesco, God/Goddess: Exploring and Celebrating the Two Sides of Wiccan Deity, page 38
      In respect to our Lord (God), these are the less known Master, Father, and Sage.
    • 2009, Debbe Tompkins, Witch School: Living the Wiccan Life, page 18
      Master of the Seasons of the Year, I call upon you and ask you to be here with me in this, my ritual.

Derived terms

Master of the Rolls Master of the Household Master of the Horse Master of the bench Master of foxhounds Chancery Master

Antonyms

Anagrams

German

Etymology

From English master.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈmaːstɐ/

Noun

Master m ‎(genitive Masters, plural Master)

  1. master's degree
  2. master graduate

Declension

Derived terms

  • Masterprüfung
  • Masterstudiengang

See also

Old Frisian

Proper noun

Māster m

  1. God, the Lord, the Creator

Declension

master

master

See also: Master, máster, and Mäster

English

Alternative forms

Noun

master ‎(plural masters)

  1. Someone who has control over something or someone.
    • Addison
      master of a hundred thousand drachms
    • Jowett (Thucyd.)
      We are masters of the sea.
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 4, in The Celebrity:
      The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on an 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.
  2. The owner of an animal or slave.
  3. (nautical) The captain of a merchant ship; a master mariner.
  4. (dated) The head of a household.
  5. Someone who employs others.
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 4, in The Celebrity:
      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.
  6. An expert at something.
    Mark Twain was a master of fiction.‎
    • Macaulay
      great masters of ridicule
    • John Locke
      No care is taken to improve young men in their own language, that they may thoroughly understand and be masters of it.
  7. A tradesman who is qualified to teach apprentices.
  8. (dated) A schoolmaster.
  9. A skilled artist.
  10. (dated) A man or a boy; mister. See Master.
    • Jonathan Swift
      Where there are little masters and misses in a house, they are impediments to the diversions of the servants.
  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. (film) The primary wide shot of a scene, into which the closeups will be edited later.
  15. (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. […] ‎
  16. (engineering) A device that is controlling other devices or is an authoritative source (e.g. master database).
  17. (freemasonry) A person holding an office of authority, especially the presiding officer.
  18. (by extension) A person holding a similar office in other civic societies.
Synonyms
Derived terms

Look at pages starting with master.

Related terms
See also
Translations

Adjective

master ‎(not comparable)

  1. Masterful.
  2. Main, principal or predominant.
  3. Highly skilled.
    master batsman‎
  4. Original.
    master copy‎
Translations

Verb

master ‎(third-person singular simple present masters, present participle mastering, simple past and past participle mastered)

  1. (intransitive) To be a master.
  2. (transitive) To become the master of; to subject to one's will, control, or authority; to conquer; to overpower; to subdue.
    • (Can we date this quote?) John Locke
      Obstinacy and willful neglects must be mastered, even though it cost blows.
    • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet Chapter 4
      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.'
  3. (transitive) To learn to a high degree of proficiency.
    It took her years to master the art of needlecraft.
  4. (transitive, obsolete) To own; to posses.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare
      the wealth that the world masters
  5. (transitive, especially of a musical performance) To make a master copy of.
  6. (intransitive, usually with in) To earn a Master's degree.
    He mastered in English at the state college.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

mast +‎ -er

Noun

master ‎(plural masters)

  1. (nautical, in combination) A vessel having a specified number of masts.
    a two-master
Translations

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: gold · letters · history · #589: master · latter · fellow · hardly

Anagrams

French

Etymology

Borrowing from English master. Doublet of maître, inherited from Latin.

Noun

master m ‎(plural masters)

  1. master's degree, master's (postgraduate degree)
  2. master (golf tournament)
  3. master, master copy

Anagrams

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

master m, f

  1. indefinite plural of mast

Old Frisian

Alternative forms

Noun

māster m

  1. master, leader

Declension

See also

Spanish

Noun

master m ‎(plural masters)

  1. Alternative form of máster

Swedish

Noun

master

  1. indefinite plural of mast

West Frisian

Noun

master

  1. master

Etymology

From Middle English maister, mayster, meister, from Old English mǣster, mæġster, mæġester, mæġister, magister ‎(“master”), from Latin magister ‎(“chief, teacher, leader”), from Old Latin magester, from mag- (as in magnus ‎(“great”)) + -ester/-ister (compare minister ‎(“servant”)). Reinforced by Old French maistre, mestre from the same Latin source. Compare also Saterland Frisian Mäster ‎(“master”), West Frisian master ‎(“master”), Dutch meester ‎(“master”), German Meister ‎(“master”).

Pronunciation

Similar Results