Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “mister” come from?

Mister derives from English master, from French masse, from Latin -arius, ultimately from Latin minae.

mister (English): A title conferred on an adult male, usually when...

Definitions

  1. A title conferred on an adult male, usually when...

Ancestry of “mister”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmasterSomeone who has control over something or...
2Middle Englishmaistermaster; lord; ruler
3Old Englishmægestermaster
4Latinmagisterteacher; master; a title of the Middle Ages,...
5Proto-Italicmagisteros—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanméǵh₂isteros—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanméǵh₂sbig, great

Words derived from “mister”

  • mester
  • míster
  • mister
  • mister
  • mester
  • míster
  • 미스터
  • मिस्टर
  • mester
Every word from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂s →