(a) A high official, civil or military; a governor, ruler, leader; also, of a ship: ~ of the flete, the flagship; (b) applied to God, Christ, a heathen god; (c) one in charge of a guild, college, etc.; a master or officer of a ship; (d) applied to a woman; (e) a conqueror, victor; (f) in cpds.: the ruling or chief person of his class: ~ bidel, ~ bishop, ~ blouere [see blouere (b)], ~ carpenter, ~ cirurgien, ~ clerk, ~ cok [see also cok]; ~ counseilour, ~ devel (fend); ~ domesman (juge, maire, man), leading civic official; ~ dragoun, ~ forster, ~ forstershipe, ~ gaioler, ~ gonner, ~ governour, ~ herde; ~ hunte = ~ of game; ~ king (reulere), ~ man; ~ mariner (shipman), the master of a ship; ~ outlaue, ~ portour, ~ prest; ~ ridere, chief forest ranger; ~ romain, the Roman general; ~ shapere, chief designer; ~ thef, ~ werkman (wright); (g) in cpds.: the most important member of a group; main, principal: ~ burgh (cite, toun), ~ chirche (tempel), ~ dongoun (forteresse, tour), ~ gate, ~ gounfanoun, ~ palais, ~ piler, ~ rote, ~ sineue, ~ sterre, ~ strete, ~ tent; ~ veine; ~ top, main top of a ship.

(a) An official appointed to be in charge of a place, a department of household, government, etc.; also, the principal civil officer of a district not important enough to warrant a mayor [quot.: 1463-4]; ~ of bestes, a royal herdsman; ~ of bukkehoundes (herthoundes, eirers); maisteres of the castelet, officials in charge of a small fortress at La Chapelle; ~ of the chaumbre, an official in charge of the royal quarters, etc. [cp. chaumbre 6.]; ~ of chauncerie, one of the assistants to the Lord Chancellor; ~ of chevalrie (horsmen, knightes, knighthod), commander of the cavalry; ~ of the coin (minet); ~ of game [see game 2c.]; ?also, an official in charge of the Queen's hunting establishment [quot.: a1525]; ~ of gounfanoun [see gounfanoun 1. (a)]; ~ of hors (the kinges hors) [see hors 2. (c)]; ~ of the kinges servise; ~ of the kinges shippes; ~ of the office, the late Roman palatine administrator known as the magister officiorum; ~ of the rolles, the chief master in chancery; ~ of werkes, an official in charge of building operations; (b) one who has control over somebody or something; one in control; a superior in a hierarchy; owner; jailer; also fig. of the will, heart, etc.; ~ and knave; (c) a social superior, patron; in a polite form of reference to such a person: mi ~; (d) a husband; a paramour; also, a male stud animal; (e) one who hires the services of another; (f) one who exercises a virtue or vice; one who owns something; (g) physiol. a dominant element or quality.

(a) One who directs the formal education or training of children or youths, a schoolmaster, tutor; also, one who gives formal instruction at a higher level; also fig.; ~ of gramere (lore); ~ of pleies (disportes), erroneous transl. of L magister ludi; (b) a learned man, scholar, sage; also, a magician; ~ of laue; (c) an authority in a branch of learning; ~ in histories, ~ in (of, of the) stories, Petrus Comestor; ~ of the sentences, Peter Lombard; four maisteres of Salerne, authors of a commentary on the Chirurgia of Roger of Salerno; (d) one who has a master's degree.

(a) A spiritual director, religious instructor; (b) the leader of a religious or philosophical movement; also, in Biblical use: translating Rabbi.

(a) A master tradesman or master craftsman, one qualified to ply his craft on his own account and teach apprentices; ~ man; (b) one notable or notorious for some skill or quality; a model, an expert; ~ clerk, ~ dwale (heretike), maisteres heretikes; ~ gavelere (usurer); ~ liere, maisteres lieres; ~ losel, ~ peintour, ~ thef; ~ of meknesse, Christ; with maistres devise, with the skill of a master, with a skillful method or contrivance; (c) one who is preeminent, largest; the nonpareil; ~ man, monstrous man, giant; (d) one's superior in knowledge, skill, or courage; (e) a poet who has been influential or a model for another.

(a) As a title of holders of a master's degree, or of other learned men; (b) as a mode of address, usually to a learned man or a man of consequence; also, to an inferior.