Where does “poormaster” come from?

poormaster (English) comes from English Master, from English Mast, from French masse, from Old French mace, from Vulgar Latin mattia, from Latin mateola, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

poormaster (English): A person employed to validate the claims of people applying for relief, and to issue the funds where applicable

Definitions

  1. A person employed to validate the claims of people applying for relief, and to issue the funds where applicable

Ancestry of “poormaster”, step by step

poormaster traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Master

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMasterPrepended to a boy's name or surname as a form...
2EnglishMast
3Frenchmassea paste, a dough; large amount or quantity of...
4Old Frenchmacemace weapon
5Vulgar Latinmattia
6LatinmateolaThe meaning of this term is uncertain....
7Latin-ulusUsed to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating...
8Proto-Italic-olos
9Proto-Italic-elosForms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns
10Proto-Indo-European-e-lós
11Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

via English poor

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpoorWith no or few possessions or money, particularly...
2Middle Englishpovrepoor, needy; poor by choice; Afflicted by need...
3Old Frenchpovrepoor
4Latinpauperpoor
5Latinpavo-parsgetting little
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpau-smallness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós