Where does “master” come from?

Master comes from English master, from Old French maistre, from Latin magister meaning one greater in rank, derived from Latin magnus meaning great.

master (English): Someone who has control over something or...

Definitions

  1. Someone who has control over something or...

Ancestry of “master”, step by step

master traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English maister

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmaistermaster; lord; ruler
2Old Englishmægestermaster
3Latinmagisterteacher; master; a title of the Middle Ages,...
4Proto-Italicmagisterosbigger, greater
5Proto-Indo-Europeanméǵh₂isteros—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanméǵh₂sbig, great

via Middle English mayster

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmayster—
2Old Englishmǣster—

via Middle English meister

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmeister—

Words derived from “master”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂s →Every word from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂isteros →Every word from Proto-Italic magisteros →