Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "master" come from? It comes from Latin magister, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "master" come from? It comes from Latin magister, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
Master’s story begins in Latin: magister meant “a chief, a teacher.” A chief, a teacher, from magis (more, greater). By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as maister. Carried into French for a person in authority or with great skill. It reached English by 1200s as master. Settled as the English word for a person with control or exceptional skill. Today, master means a person with control or authority, or one with exceptional skill in a field.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient magister "a chief, a teacher", a chief, a teacher, from magis (more, greater).
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval maister "a person in authority or with great skill", carried into French for a person in authority or with great skill.
- Stage 3 · English · 1200s master "a person with control over others, or exceptional skill", settled as the English word for a person with control or exceptional skill.