master

Noun

1. Someone who has control over something or someone.
2. The owner of an animal or slave.
3. The captain of a merchant ship; a master mariner.
4. (dated) A male head of household.
5. Someone who employs others.
6. An expert at something.
7. A tradesman who is qualified to teach apprentices.
8. (dated) A male schoolteacher.
9. A skilled artist.
10. (dated) A man or a boy; mister. See Master.
11. A master's degree; a type of postgraduate degree, usually undertaken after a bachelor degree.
12. A person holding such a degree.
13. The original of a document or of a recording.
14. The primary wide shot of a scene, into which the closeups will be edited later.
15. A parajudicial officer (such as a referee, an auditor, an examiner, or an assessor) specially appointed to help a court with its proceedings.
16. A device that is controlling other devices or is an authoritative source.
17. A person holding an office of authority, especially the presiding officer.
18. (broadly) A person holding a similar office in other civic societies.
19. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis) Ellipsis of master key.
20. A male dominant.

Adj

1. (not-comparable) Masterful.
2. (not-comparable) Main, principal or predominant.
3. (not-comparable) Highly skilled.
4. (not-comparable) Original.

Verb

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.
3. (transitive) To learn to a high degree of proficiency.
4. (obsolete, transitive) To own; to possess.
5. (especially, transitive) To make a master copy of.
6. (intransitive, usually) To earn a Master's degree.

Opposite of

secondary, slave, worker

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈmɑːs.tə/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: maister

Inherited from Old English: mǣster

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: Mäster

Cognate with Western Frisian: master

Cognate with Dutch: meester

Cognate with German: Meister

In summary

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.

Synonyms

lord

owner

boss

teacher

🧑‍🏫

chief

host

expert

leader

king

👑

sovereign

superior

proprietor

head

ruler

employer

overlord

instructor

monarch

emperor

potentate

husband

🤵

imperator

specialist

subdue

manage

principal

preceptor

craftsman

sir

conquer

maestro

main

gentleman

🤵‍♂️

captain

control

commander

defeat

supervisor

overcome

tutor

director

schoolmaster

victor

foreman

skipper

educator

adept

mentor

manager

champion

Translations

maître

maestro

padrone

Meister

amo

Herr

👨

dominus

maestro

🧑‍🏫

meester

mestre

mestre

senhor

👨

pan

maîtriser

heer

Sentences

He was the master of the situation .

Control an active connection multiplexing master process .

He attained fame as a master of casuistry .