master
UK /ˈmɑːstə/ · US /ˈmæstɚ/ noun, adjective, verb, proper noun
Forms masters mastering mastered maistre Marse mas'r mastr mastre maister mayster Massa massah massy masta Mastah mastuh
- noun Someone who has control over something or someone.
- noun The owner of an animal or slave.
- noun (nautical) The captain of a merchant ship; a master mariner.
- noun (dated) A male head of household.
- noun Someone who employs others.
- noun An expert at something. “Mark Twain was a master of fiction.”
- noun A tradesman who is qualified to teach apprentices.
- noun (dated) A male schoolteacher.
- adjective Masterful. “a master performance”
- adjective Main, principal or predominant.
- adjective Highly skilled. “master batsman”
- adjective Original. “master copy”
- verb (intransitive) To be a master.
- verb (transitive) To become the master of; to subject to one's will, control, or authority; to conquer; to overpower; to subdue.
- verb (transitive) To learn to a high degree of proficiency. “It took her years to master the art of needlecraft.”
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To own; to possess.
- verb (transitive, especially of a musical performance) To make a master copy of.
- verb (intransitive, usually with in) To earn a Master's degree. “He mastered in English at the state college.”
- noun (nautical, in combination) A vessel having a specified number of masts. “a two-master”
- noun Prepended to a boy's name or surname as a (now somewhat formal) form of address.
Synonyms
skipper captain adept ace artist buff crackerjack crack hand dab dab hand dabster don hand expert Jedi Master maven old hand old soldier old stager past master proficient maestro overlord lord victor superior headmaster schoolmaster master copy original sea captain
Antonyms
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.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A vessel having (so many) masts; --used only in compounds; as, a two-master.
- noun 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
- noun One who uses, or controls at will, anything inanimate; as, to be master of one's time. Shak.
- verb To become the master of; to subject to one's will, control, or authority; to conquer; to overpower; to subdue.
Etymology [OE. maistre, maister, OF. maistre, mestre, F. maître, fr. L. magister, orig. a double comparative from the root of magnus great, akin to Gr. Maestro, Magister, Magistrate, Magnitude, Major, Mister, Mistress, Mickle.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “master”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details