# master

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmɑːs.tə/ · frequency rank #1,250

## Definitions
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. 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. A male schoolteacher.
9. A skilled artist.
10. 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 copyright in a sound recording.
15. The primary wide shot of a scene, into which the closeups will be edited later.
16. A parajudicial officer (such as a referee, an auditor, an examiner, or an assessor) specially appointed to help a court with its proceedings.
17. A device that is controlling other devices or is an authoritative source.
18. A person holding an office of authority, especially the presiding officer.
19. A person holding a similar office in other civic societies.
20. Ellipsis of master key.
21. A male dominant.

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **mate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-mate)
- **meter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-meter)
- **mates** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-mates)
- **Mayer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-mayer)
- **matte** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-matte)
- **mater** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-mater)
- **Mateo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-mateo)
- **mated** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-mated)
- **moser** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-moser)
- **miser** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-miser)
- **matter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-matter)
- **mister** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-mister)
- **muster** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-muster)
- **Mattel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-mattel)
- **mutter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-mutter)
- **matted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-matted)
- **Messer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-messer)
- **Maurer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-maurer)
- **matters** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-matters)
- **monster** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/master-vs-monster)

## Common misspellings (9)
`amster`, `masetr`, `masster`, `masterr`, `mastre`, `mastter`, `matser`, `mmaster`, `msater`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/master