1. [n]  an original creation (i.e., an audio recording) from which copies can be made
2. [n]  key that secures entrance everywhere
3. [n]  presiding officer of a school
4. [n]  an artist of consummate skill; "a master of the violin"; "one of the old masters"
5. [n]  an authority qualified to teach apprentices
6. [n]  directs the work of other
7. [n]  someone who holds a master's degree from academic institution
8. [n]  an officer who is licensed to command a merchant ship
9. [n]  a person who has general authority over others
10. [n]  a combatant who is able to defeat rivals
11. [v]  have a firm understanding or knowledge of; be on top of; "Do you control these data?"
12. [v]  be or become completely proficient or skilled in; "She mastered Japanese in less than two years"
13. [v]  get on top of; deal with successfully; "He overcame his shyness"
14. [v]  have dominance or the power to defeat over; "Her pain completely mastered her"; "The methods can master the problems"

1. \Mast"er\, n. (Naut.)
   A vessel having (so many) masts; -- used only in compounds;
   as, a two-master.
   

2. \Mas"ter\, 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. ?. 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.            --Maccaulay.
            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}, one who has held the office of master in a
      lodge of Freemasons or in a society similarly organized.
   {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
         adjiectively 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.
   

3. \Mas"ter\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Mastered}; p. pr. vb. n.
   {Mastering}.]
   1. To become the master of; to subject to one's will,
      control, or authority; to conquer; to overpower; to
      subdue.
            Obstinacy and willful neglects must be mastered,
            even though it cost blows.            --Locke.
   2. To gain the command of, so as to understand or apply; to
      become an adept in; as, to master a science.
   3. To own; to posses. [Obs.]
            The wealth That the world masters.    --Shak.
   

4. \Mas"ter\, v. i.
   To be skillful; to excel. [Obs.]
   

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