Other forms: masters, mastered, mastering
A master is somebody with complete command of a skill, or a man in charge. A master craftsman, master of the house, master the technique.
The skill sense is the living one: mastering something means learning it thoroughly, and a master's degree is named from it. The authority sense carries a great deal of history, including slavery, which is why master is being replaced in technical contexts — main branch rather than master branch. Note masterpiece, which was originally the work by which an apprentice proved he was a master.
1nounmasterSomebody with complete command of a skill.
“The old woodcarver was a true master, and apprentices came from far away to learn from him.”
2verblearnTo learn something thoroughly.
“It took her years to master the violin.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
master is an expert or a person in charge.
Latin magister means chief or teacher, from magis, more. Magistrate, magnificent and major come from the same greatness, and mister is master worn down.
Middle English
maister
English, today
master
Built from
From Middle English maister. From Middle English maister, mayster, meister and maistren, from Old English mǣster, mæġster, mæġester, mæġister, magister (“master”), from Latin magister (“chief, teacher, leader”), from itc-ola 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 and maistriier, maister from the same Latin source. Compare also stq Mäster (“master”), West Frisian master (“master”), Dutch meester (“master”), German Meister (“master”). a doublet of maestro and magister and meister.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA