From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Master \Mas"ter\ (m[.a]s"t[~e]r), n. [OE. maistre, maister, OF.
maistre, mestre, F. ma[^i]tre, 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.
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2. One who uses, or controls at will, anything inanimate; as,
to be master of one's time. --Shak.
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Master of a hundred thousand drachms. --Addison.
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We are masters of the sea. --Jowett
(Thucyd.).
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3. One who has attained great skill in the use or application
of anything; as, a master of oratorical art.
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Great masters of ridicule. --Macaulay.
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No care is taken to improve young men in their own
language, that they may thoroughly understand and be
masters of it. --Locke.
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4. A title given by courtesy, now commonly pronounced
m[i^]ster, except when given to boys; -- sometimes written
{Mister}, but usually abbreviated to Mr.
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5. A young gentleman; a lad, or small boy.
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Where there are little masters and misses in a
house, they are impediments to the diversions of the
servants. --Swift.
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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.
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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.
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{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.
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Note: 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.
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Throughout the city by the master gate.
--Chaucer.
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{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.
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From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
master key
n 1: key that secures entrance everywhere [syn: {passkey},
{passe-partout}, {master key}, {master}]
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