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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Master \Mas"ter\ (m[.a]s"t[~e]r), noun [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.
2. One who uses, or controls at will, anything inanimate; as, to be master of one's time. --Shak.
Master of a hundred thousand drachms. --Addison.
We are masters of the sea. --Jowett (Thucyd.).
3. One who has attained great skill in the use or application of anything; as, a master of oratorical art.
Great masters of ridicule. --Macaulay.
No care is taken to improve young men in their own language, that they may thoroughly understand and be masters of it. --Locke.
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.
5. A young gentleman; a lad, or small boy.
Where there are little masters and misses in a house, they are impediments to the diversions of the servants. --Swift.
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.
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.
{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.
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.
Throughout the city by the master gate. --Chaucer.
{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.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Captain \Cap"tain\ (k[a^]p"t[i^]n), noun [OE. capitain, captain, OF. capitain, F. capitaine (cf. Sp. capitan, It. capitano), LL. capitaneus, capitanus, fr. L. caput the head. See under {Chief}, and cf. {Chieftain}.]
1. A head, or chief officer; as: (a) The military officer who commands a company, troop, or battery, or who has the rank entitling him to do so though he may be employed on other service. (b) An officer in the United States navy, next above a commander and below a commodore, and ranking with a colonel in the army. (c) By courtesy, an officer actually commanding a vessel, although not having the rank of captain. (d) The master or commanding officer of a merchant vessel. (e) One in charge of a portion of a ship's company; as, a captain of a top, captain of a gun, etc. (f) The foreman of a body of workmen. (g) A person having authority over others acting in concert; as, the captain of a boat's crew; the captain of a football team.
A trainband captain eke was he. --Cowper.
The Rhodian captain, relying on . . . the lightness of his vessel, passed, in open day, through all the guards. --Arbuthnot.
2. A military leader; a warrior.
Foremost captain of his time. --Tennyson.
{Captain general}. (a) The commander in chief of an army or armies, or of the militia. (b) The Spanish governor of Cuba and its dependent islands.
{Captain lieutenant}, a lieutenant with the rank and duties of captain but with a lieutenant's pay, -- as in the first company of an English regiment.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Captain \Cap"tain\, verb (used with an object) To act as captain of; to lead. [R.]
Men who captained or accompanied the exodus from existing forms. --Lowell.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Captain \Cap"tain\, adjective Chief; superior. [R.]
captain jewes in the carcanet. --Shak.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
captain
noun
1: an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
2: the naval officer in command of a military ship [syn: {skipper}]
3: a policeman in charge of a precinct [syn: {police captain}, {police chief}]
4: an officer who is licensed to command a merchant ship [syn: {master}, {sea captain}, {skipper}]
5: the leader of a group of people; "a captain of industry" [syn: {chieftain}]
6: the pilot ins charge of an airship [syn: {senior pilot}]
7: a diningroom attendant who is in charge of the waiters and the seating of customers [syn: {headwaiter}, {maitre d'hotel}, {maitre d'}]
verb: be the captain of a sports team
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
192 Moby Thesaurus words for "captain": ADC, CO, G-man, MP, OD, administer, administrate, admiral, aeronaut, aeroplaner, aeroplanist, aide, aide-de-camp, air pilot, airplanist, astronaut, aviator, bailiff, barnstormer, be master, be responsible for, beadle, beagle, birdman, boatswain, bound bailiff, brigadier, brigadier general, call the signals, carry on, castellan, catchpole, chair, chatelain, chatelaine, chicken colonel, chief engineer, chief mate, chief of police, chief of staff, chief petty officer, cloud seeder, colonel, command, commandant, commander, commander in chief, commanding officer, commercial pilot, commissioned officer, commissioner, commodore, company officer, conduct, constable, control, copilot, crop-duster, deck officer, deputy, deputy sheriff, detective, direct, director, discipline, engineer, ensign, exec, executive, executive officer, fed, federal, field marshal, field officer, first lieutenant, five-star general, fleet admiral, flic, flier, four-star general, gendarme, general, general officer, generalissimo, govern, government man, governor, handle, head, head up, inspector, instructor, intendant, jemadar, jet jockey, junior officer, lead, lead on, licensed pilot, lictor, lieutenant, lieutenant colonel, lieutenant commander, lieutenant general, lieutenant junior grade, mace-bearer, major, major general, make the rules, manage, manager, maneuver, manipulate, marechal, marshal, master, mastermind, mate, mounted policeman, narc, naval officer, navarch, navigating officer, navigator, officer, one-star general, order, orderly officer, patrolman, patron, peace officer, petty officer, pilot, pipes, police captain, police commissioner, police constable, police inspector, police matron, police officer, police sergeant, policeman, policewoman, portreeve, prescribe, preside over, pull the strings, quarterback, quartermaster, rainmaker, rear admiral, reeve, regulate, risaldar, roundsman, ruler, run, sailing master, second mate, senior officer, sergeant, sergeant at arms, shavetail, sheriff, shipmaster, sirdar, skipper, staff officer, stand over, stunt flier, stunt man, subahdar, subaltern, sublieutenant, superintendent, supervise, take command, take the lead, test pilot, the Old Man, the brass, three-star general, tipstaff, tipstaves, top brass, trooper, two-star general, vice admiral, warrant officer, watch officer, wield authority, wingman
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:
Captain (1.) Heb. sar (1 Sam. 22:2; 2 Sam. 23:19). Rendered "chief," Gen. 40:2; 41:9; rendered also "prince," Dan. 1:7; "ruler," Judg. 9:30; "governor,' 1 Kings 22:26. This same Hebrew word denotes a military captain (Ex. 18:21; 2 Kings 1:9; Deut. 1:15; 1 Sam. 18:13, etc.), the "captain of the body-guard" (Gen. 37:36; 39:1; 41:10; Jer. 40:1), or, as the word may be rendered, "chief of the executioners" (marg.). The officers of the king's body-guard frequently acted as executioners. Nebuzar-adan (Jer. 39:13) and Arioch (Dan. 2:14) held this office in Babylon. The "captain of the guard" mentioned in Acts 28:16 was the Praetorian prefect, the commander of the Praetorian troops. (2.) Another word (Heb. katsin) so translated denotes sometimes a military (Josh. 10:24; Judg. 11:6, 11; Isa. 22:3 "rulers;" Dan. 11:18) and sometimes a civil command, a judge, magistrate, Arab. _kady_, (Isa. 1:10; 3:6; Micah 3:1, 9). (3.) It is also the rendering of a Hebrew word (shalish) meaning "a third man," or "one of three." The LXX. render in plural by _tristatai_; i.e., "soldiers fighting from chariots," so called because each war-chariot contained three men, one of whom acted as charioteer while the other two fought (Ex. 14:7; 15:4; 1 Kings 9:22; comp. 2 Kings 9:25). This word is used also to denote the king's body-guard (2 Kings 10:25; 1 Chr. 12:18; 2 Chr. 11:11) or aides-de-camp. (4.) The "captain of the temple" mentioned in Acts 4:1 and 5:24 was not a military officer, but superintendent of the guard of priests and Levites who kept watch in the temple by night. (Comp. "the ruler of the house of God," 1 Chr. 9:11; 2 Chr. 31:13; Neh. 11:11.) (5.) The Captain of our salvation is a name given to our Lord (Heb. 2:10), because he is the author and source of our salvation, the head of his people, whom he is conducting to glory. The "captain of the Lord's host" (Josh. 5:14, 15) is the name given to that mysterious person who manifested himself to Abraham (Gen. 12:7), and to Moses in the bush (Ex. 3:2, 6, etc.) the Angel of the covenant. (See {ANGEL}.)
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