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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [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.0.48 [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.0.48 [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.0.48 [gcide]:
Captain \Cap"tain\, adjective Chief; superior. [R.]
captain jewes in the carcanet. --Shak.
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
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: {captain}, {skipper}]
3: a policeman in charge of a precinct [syn: {captain}, {police captain}, {police chief}]
4: an officer who is licensed to command a merchant ship [syn: {master}, {captain}, {sea captain}, {skipper}]
5: the leader of a group of people; "a captain of industry" [syn: {captain}, {chieftain}]
6: the pilot in charge of an airship [syn: {captain}, {senior pilot}]
7: a dining-room attendant who is in charge of the waiters and the seating of customers [syn: {captain}, {headwaiter}, {maitre d'hotel}, {maitre d'}]
verb
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Definitions retrieved from the Open Source DICT Webster's English and WordNet 3.0 dictionaries. Click here for database copyright information.
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