Added 9 October 2026
master
/ˈmɑːstə/ noun
In Latin: dominus Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about master at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
verb
-
Be or become completely proficient or skilled in.
She mastered Japanese in less than two years
-
Get on top of; deal with successfully.
He overcame his shyness
-
Have dominance or the power to defeat over.
Her pain completely mastered her
adjective
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)