%maste%

n. a man who trains ballet dancers. [ PJC ]

n. The conductor of a musical band. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Berg + master: cf. G. Bergmeister. ] Formerly, a local judge among miners; now, an officer of the barmote. [ Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who keeps bees. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To master thoroughly. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Barmaster. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Burgomaster. ] The mayor, governor, or bailiff of a borough. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Burgomaster. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A burgomaster. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mining) An officer who directs and lays out the meres or boundaries for the workmen; -- called also bailiff, and barmaster. [ Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ D. burgemeester; burg borough + meester master; akin to G. burgemeister, bürgermeister. See 1st Borough, and Master. ] 1. A chief magistrate of a municipal town in Holland, Flanders, and Germany, corresponding to mayor in England and the United States; a burghmaster. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) An aquatic bird, the glaucous gull (Larus glaucus), common in arctic regions. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the musical director of a choir.
Syn. -- precentor, cantor. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. One who breeds gamecocks. L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One skilled in his craft or trade; one of superior cunning. [ 1913 Webster ]

In cunning persuasion his craftsmaster. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_;, fr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_;&unr_; to hang. ] 1. (Anat.) A thin muscle which serves to draw up the testicle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) The apex of the last abdominal segment of an insect. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the cremaster; as, the cremasteric artery. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who teaches drill, especially in the way of gymnastics. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

An officer charged with the duty of executing the regulations respecting the use of a harbor.

n. A teacher in charge of a school boardinghouse. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A manufacturer of iron, or large dealer therein. Bp. Hurd. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a worker in charge of a lock (on a canal).
Syn. -- lockman, lockkeeper. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Furnished with a mast or masts; -- chiefly in composition; as, a three-masted schooner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. maistre, maister, OF. maistre, mestre, F. maître, fr. L. magister, orig. a double comparative from the root of magnus great, akin to Gr. me`gas. Cf. Maestro, Magister, Magistrate, Magnitude, Major, Mister, Mistress, Mickle. ] 1. 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 a dog or horse. (j) The controller of a familiar spirit or other supernatural being. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who uses, or controls at will, anything inanimate; as, to be master of one's time. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Master of a hundred thousand drachms. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

We are masters of the sea. Jowett (Thucyd.). [ 1913 Webster ]

3. One who has attained great skill in the use or application of anything; as, a master of oratorical art. [ 1913 Webster ]

Great masters of ridicule. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

No care is taken to improve young men in their own language, that they may thoroughly understand and be masters of it. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A title given by courtesy, now commonly pronounced except when given to boys; -- sometimes written Mister, but usually abbreviated to Mr. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A young gentleman; a lad, or small boy. [ 1913 Webster ]

Where there are little masters and misses in a house, they are impediments to the diversions of the servants. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Naut.) The commander of a merchant vessel; -- usually called captain. Also, a commissioned officer in the navy ranking next above ensign and below lieutenant; formerly, an officer on a man-of-war who had immediate charge, under the commander, of sailing the vessel. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. A person holding an office of authority among the Freemasons, esp. the presiding officer; also, a person holding a similar office in other civic societies. [ 1913 Webster ]

Little masters, certain German engravers of the 16th century, so called from the extreme smallness of their prints. --
Master in chancery, an officer of courts of equity, who acts as an assistant to the chancellor or judge, by inquiring into various matters referred to him, and reporting thereon to the court. --
Master of arts, one who takes the second degree at a university; also, the degree or title itself, indicated by the abbreviation M. A., or A. M. --
Master of the horse, the third great officer in the British court, having the management of the royal stables, etc. In ceremonial cavalcades he rides next to the sovereign. --
Master of the rolls, in England, an officer who has charge of the rolls and patents that pass the great seal, and of the records of the chancery, and acts as assistant judge of the court. Bouvier. Wharton. --
Past master, (a) one who has held the office of master in a lodge of Freemasons or in a society similarly organized. (b) a person who is unusually expert, skilled, or experienced in some art, technique, or profession; -- usually used with at or of. --
The old masters, distinguished painters who preceded modern painters; especially, the celebrated painters of the 16th and 17th centuries. --
To be master of one's self, to have entire self-control; not to be governed by passion. --
To be one's own master, to be at liberty to act as one chooses without dictation from anybody. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Master, signifying chief, principal, masterly, superior, thoroughly skilled, etc., is often used adjectively or in compounds; as, master builder or master-builder, master chord or master-chord, master mason or master-mason, master workman or master-workman, master mechanic, master mind, master spirit, master passion, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Throughout the city by the master gate. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Master joint (Geol.), a quarryman's term for the more prominent and extended joints traversing a rock mass. --
Master key, a key adapted to open several locks differing somewhat from each other; figuratively, a rule or principle of general application in solving difficulties. --
Master lode (Mining), the principal vein of ore. --
Master mariner, an experienced and skilled seaman who is certified to be competent to command a merchant vessel. --
Master sinew (Far.), a large sinew that surrounds the hough of a horse, and divides it from the bone by a hollow place, where the windgalls are usually seated. --
Master singer. See Mastersinger. --
Master stroke, a capital performance; a masterly achievement; a consummate action; as, a master stroke of policy. --
Master tap (Mech.), a tap for forming the thread in a screw cutting die. --
Master touch. (a) The touch or skill of a master. Pope. (b) Some part of a performance which exhibits very skillful work or treatment. “Some master touches of this admirable piece.” Tatler. --
Master work, the most important work accomplished by a skilled person, as in architecture, literature, etc.; also, a work which shows the skill of a master; a masterpiece. --
Master workman, a man specially skilled in any art, handicraft, or trade, or who is an overseer, foreman, or employer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Naut.) A vessel having (so many) masts; -- used only in compounds; as, a two-master. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Mastered p. pr. vb. n. Mastering. ] 1. To become the master of; to subject to one's will, control, or authority; to conquer; to overpower; to subdue. [ 1913 Webster ]

Obstinacy and willful neglects must be mastered, even though it cost blows. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To gain the command of, so as to understand or apply; to become an adept in; as, to master a science. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To own; to posses. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The wealth
That the world masters. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To be skillful; to excel. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Naut.) The senior petty officer of a ship, responsible for discipline aboard the ship. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Master + -dom. ] Dominion; rule; command. [ R. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. Learned thoroughly.
Syn. -- down, down pat(predicate). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. 1. Inclined to play the master; domineering; imperious; arbitrary. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Having the skill or power of a master; indicating or expressing power or mastery. [ 1913 Webster ]

His masterful, pale face. Mrs. Browning. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a masterful manner; imperiously. [ 1913 Webster ]

A lawless and rebellious man who held lands masterfully and in high contempt of the royal authority. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being a master; hence, disposition to command or hector. C. Bronté. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Destitute of a master or owner; ungoverned or ungovernable. -- Mas"ter*less*ness, n. [1913 Webster]

n. The quality or state of being masterly; ability to control wisely or skillfully. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Suitable to, or characteristic of, a master; indicating thorough knowledge or superior skill and power; showing a master's hand; as, a masterly design; a masterly performance; a masterly policy. “A wise and masterly inactivity.” Sir J. Mackintosh. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Imperious; domineering; arbitrary. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. With the skill of a master. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou dost speak masterly. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Masterly. [ Obs. ] Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Anything done or made with extraordinary skill; a capital performance; a chef-d'oeuvre; a supreme achievement. [ 1913 Webster ]

The top and masterpiece of art. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

Dissimulation was his masterpiece. Claredon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The state or office of a master. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Mastery; dominion; superior skill; superiority. [ 1913 Webster ]

Where noble youths for mastership should strive. Driden. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Chief work; masterpiece. [ Obs. ] Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. An ironical title of respect. [ 1913 Webster ]

How now, seignior Launce! what news with your mastership? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ A translation of G. meistersänger. ] One of a class of poets which flourished in Nuremberg and some other cities of Germany in the 15th and 16th centuries. They bound themselves to observe certain arbitrary laws of rhythm. [ 1913 Webster ]

. In an internal-combustion engine with two or more cylinders, an induction coil and vibrator placed in the circuit between the battery or magneto and the coils for the different cylinders, which are used without vibrators of their own. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. (Bot.) (a) A tall and coarse European umbelliferous plant (Peucedanum Ostruthium, formerly Imperatoria). (b) The Astrantia major, a European umbelliferous plant with a showy colored involucre. (c) Improperly, the cow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum). [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Masteries [ OF. maistrie. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The position or authority of a master; dominion; command; supremacy; superiority. [ 1913 Webster ]

If divided by mountains, they will fight for the mastery of the passages of the tops. Sir W. Raleigh. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Superiority in war or competition; victory; triumph; preeminence. [ 1913 Webster ]

The voice of them that shout for mastery. Ex. xxxii. 18. [ 1913 Webster ]

Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. 1 Cor. ix. 25. [ 1913 Webster ]

O, but to have gulled him
Had been a mastery. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Contest for superiority. [ Obs. ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A masterly operation; a feat. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I will do a maistrie ere I go. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Specifically, the philosopher's stone. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

6. The act process of mastering; the state of having mastered. [ 1913 Webster ]

He could attain to a mastery in all languages. Tillotson. [ 1913 Webster ]

The learning and mastery of a tongue, being unpleasant in itself, should not be cumbered with other difficulties. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The master or superintendent of a mint. Also used figuratively. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To overpower; to subdue; to vanquish; to govern. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who pays; one who compensates, rewards, or requites; specifically, an officer or agent of a government, a corporation, or an employer, whose duty it is to pay salaries, wages, etc., and keep account of the same. [ 1913 Webster ]

. 1. (a) (Mil.) In the United States army, an officer of the rank of brigadier general, who commands the pay department, which is charged with the payment of the officers and men. (b) (Nav.) In the United States navy, the Chief of the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing, who has charge of the payment of officers and men and their clothing and subsistence. He has the rank of rear admiral. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. In Great Britain, an officer of the Treasury who makes all payments and disbursements, civil as well as military. He is a member of the ministry, but not of the cabinet. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. 1. One who has charge of a station for the accommodation of travelers; one who supplies post horses. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who has charge of a post office, and the distribution and forwarding of mails. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Postmasters-general. The chief officer of the post-office department of a government. In the United States the postmaster-general is a member of the cabinet. [ 1913 Webster ]