master

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. One that has control over another or others.
2. n. The owner or keeper of an animal: The dog ran toward its master.
3. n. The owner of a slave.
4. n. One who has control over or ownership of something: the master of a large tea plantation.
5. n. The captain of a merchant ship. Also called master mariner.
6. n. An employer.
7. n. The man who serves as the head of a household.
8. n. One who defeats another; a victor.
9. n. One whose teachings or doctrines are accepted by followers.
10. n. Christianity Jesus.
11. n. A male teacher, schoolmaster, or tutor.
12. n. One who holds a master's degree.
13. n. An artist or performer of great and exemplary skill.
14. n. An old master.
15. n. A worker qualified to teach apprentices and carry on the craft independently.
16. n. An expert: a master of three languages.
17. n. Used formerly as a title for a man holding a naval office ranking next below a lieutenant on a warship.
18. n. Used as a title for a man who serves as the head or presiding officer of certain societies, clubs, orders, or institutions.
19. n. Chiefly British Used as a title for any of various male law court officers.
20. n. Used as a title for any of various male officers having specified duties concerning the management of the British royal household.
21. n. Used as a courtesy title before the given or full name of a boy not considered old enough to be addressed as Mister.
22. n. Archaic Used as a form of address for a man; mister.
23. n. A man who owns a pack of hounds or is the chief officer of a hunt.
24. n. An original, such as an original document or audio recording, from which copies can be made.
25. adj. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a master.
26. adj. Principal or predominant: a master plot.
27. adj. Controlling all other parts of a mechanism: a master switch.
28. adj. Highly skilled or proficient: a master thief.
29. adj. Being an original from which copies are made.
30. v. To act as or be the master of.
31. v. To make oneself a master of: mastered the language in a year's study.
32. v. To overcome or defeat: He finally mastered his addiction to drugs.
33. v. To reduce to subjugation; break or tame (an animal, for example).
34. v. To produce a master audio recording for.
35. v. To season or age (dyed goods).

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A man who has authority; a man who exercises the chief control over something or some one; a paramount ruler, governor, or director.
2. n. Specifically - A male teacher or instructor in a school, more especially the sole or head teacher; a schoolmaster.
3. n. The navigator of a ship. In the merchant marine the master is the captain or commander. In men-of-war the navigator or sailing-master formerly had the specific title of master, and was a line-officer of the lowest rank. In the British navy his title is now navigating-lieutenant or staff-commander. In the United States navy he is now ranked as lieutenant (junior grade), between eusign and lieutenant, and is called the navigator.
4. n. One who has another or others under his immediate control; a lord paramount or employer of slaves, vassals, domestic servants, workmen, or laborers, etc.; in law, specifically, one who has in his own right and by virtue of contract a legal personal authority over the services of another, such other being called his servant. The important distinction between the relation of master and servant and that of principal and agent lies in the fact that a master is liable to third persons for the errors of his servant to a greater degree than principals generally are for the errors of agents or employees over whom such authority does not exist, and in the fact that a servant has not always the same remedy against his master for injuries suffered in the course of employment as one not a servant might have.
5. n. One charged with the care, direction, oversight, or control of some office, business, undertaking, or department: as, Master of the Rolls; a ship-, harbor-, or dock-master; master of the revels, ceremonies, etc.
6. n. One who has the power of controlling or using at pleasure; an owner or proprietor; a disposer.
7. n. A chief; a principal, head, or leader.
8. n. A man eminently or perfectly skilled in something, as an occupation, art, science, or pursuit; one who has disposing or controlling power of any kind by virtue of natural or acquired ability; a proficient; an adept: as, a master of language, or of the violin; a master in art.
9. n. A title of address, formerly in use, corresponding to magister (which see). Abbreviated M. Master is now changed to mister in ordinary speech, and used in its unchanged form only before the name of a boy, or by a servile dependent to a superior, or sometimes (especially in irony) by a superior to an inferior, as in the second quotation. See mister.
10. n. A young gentleman; a boy of the better class.
11. n. A title of dignity or office. A degree conferred by colleges and universities: as, master of arts.
12. n. The title of the head of some societies or corporations: as, the grand master of the Knights of Malta; the master of Balliol College; the master of a lodge of freemasons.
13. n. Eccles., a title applied to certain residentiaries in a minster: as, master of the lady chapel, etc.
14. n. In the game of bowls, the jack.
15. n. A husband.
16. n. An equerry; specifically, the third great officer in the British court. He has the management of all the royal stables and bred horses, with authority over all the equerries and pages, coachmen, footmen, grooms, etc. In state cavalcades he rides next to the sovereign.
17. n. See the quotation.
18. Having or exercising mastery; directing or controlling; chief; principal; leading: as, a master mechanic or mariner; a master builder or printer; a master hand in trade.
19. One who employs workmen in building.
20. [caps.] The chief executive officer of the Knights of Labor. [U. S.]
21. To become the master of; subject to one's will, control, or authority; conquer; overpower; subdue.
22. To make one's self master of; overcome the difficulties of; learn so as to be able to apply or use: as, to master a science.
23. To control as master or owner; possess; have power over.
24. To hold the position or relation of master to; be a master to.
25. In a technical use, to season or age.
26. To be skilful; excel.
27. n. A vessel with (a specified number of) masts: in composition: as, a three-master.

Wiktionary

1. n. Someone who has control over something or someone.
2. n. Owner of an animal or slave.
3. n. nautical The captain of a merchant ship; a master mariner.
4. n. Someone who employs others.
5. n. An expert at something.
6. n. A tradesman who is qualified to teach apprentices.
7. n. dated A schoolmaster.
8. n. A skilled artist.
9. n. dated A courtesy title of a man or a boy; mister. See Master.
10. n. A master's degree; a type of postgraduate degree, usually undertaken after a bachelor degree.
11. n. A person holding such a degree.
12. n. The original of a document or of a recording.
13. n. film The primary wide shot of a scene, into which the closeups will be edited later.
14. n. law A parajudicial officer (such as a referee, an auditor, an examiner, or an assessor) specially appointed to help a court with its proceedings.
15. n. engineering A device that is controlling other devices or is an authoritative source (e.g. master database)
16. adj. Masterful.
17. adj. Main, principal or predominant.
18. adj. Highly skilled.
19. adj. Original.
20. v. To be a master.
21. v. transitive To control.
22. v. transitive To learn to a high degree of proficiency.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Naut.) A vessel having (so many) masts; -- used only in compounds.
2. n. 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.
3. n. The employer of a servant.
4. n. The owner of a slave.
5. n. The person to whom an apprentice is articled.
6. n. A sovereign, prince, or feudal noble; a chief, or one exercising similar authority.
7. n. The head of a household.
8. n. The male head of a school or college.
9. n. A male teacher.
10. n. The director of a number of persons performing a ceremony or sharing a feast.
11. n. The owner of a docile brute, -- especially a dog or horse.
12. n. The controller of a familiar spirit or other supernatural being.
13. n. One who uses, or controls at will, anything inanimate.
14. n. One who has attained great skill in the use or application of anything.
15. n. A title given by courtesy, now commonly pronounced mĭster, except when given to boys; -- sometimes written Mister, but usually abbreviated to Mr.
16. n. A young gentleman; a lad, or small boy.
17. n. (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.
18. n. 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.
19. v. To become the master of; to subject to one's will, control, or authority; to conquer; to overpower; to subdue.
20. v. To gain the command of, so as to understand or apply; to become an adept in.
21. v. obsolete To own; to posses.
22. v. obsolete To be skillful; to excel.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a person who has general authority over others
2. v. get on top of; deal with successfully
3. n. an officer who is licensed to command a merchant ship
4. n. presiding officer of a school
5. n. an authority qualified to teach apprentices
6. v. have a firm understanding or knowledge of; be on top of
7. n. someone who holds a master's degree from academic institution
8. n. an original creation (i.e., an audio recording) from which copies can be made
9. adj. most important element
10. n. a combatant who is able to defeat rivals
11. n. key that secures entrance everywhere
12. n. an artist of consummate skill
13. n. directs the work of others
14. v. have dominance or the power to defeat over
15. v. be or become completely proficient or skilled in