Where does “masterpiece” come from?
Masterpiece derives from English master, from French masse, from Latin massa meaning "lump" or "bulk," combined with the agent suffix -arius and the adjective magnus meaning "great."
masterpiece (English): A piece of work that has been given much critical...
Definitions
- A piece of work that has been given much critical...
Ancestry of “masterpiece”, step by step
masterpiece traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English Master
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Master | Prepended to a boy's name or surname as a form... |
| 2 | English | Mast | — |
| 3 | French | masse | a paste, a dough; large amount or quantity of... |
| 4 | Old French | mace | mace weapon |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | mattia | — |
| 6 | Latin | mateola | The meaning of this term is uncertain.... |
| 7 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via Dutch meesterstuk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | meesterstuk | masterpiece |
| 2 | Dutch | meester | A master, boss, superior; A schoolteacher,... |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | mêester | A master, teacher |
| 4 | Old Dutch | mēster | — |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | maester | — |
| 6 | Latin | magister | teacher; master; a title of the Middle Ages,... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | magisteros | bigger, greater |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂isteros | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂s | big, great |
via English piece
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | piece | A part of a larger whole, usually in such a form... |
| 2 | Middle English | pece | piece; morsel; bit |
| 3 | Old French | piece | piece, bit, part; circa 1170, Chrétien de Troyes |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | pettia | piece, portion |
| 5 | Latin | pettia | piece, portion |
| 6 | Gaulish | pettyā | — |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | kʷezdis | piece, portion |