Mast
(Mast), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Masted; p. pr. & vb. n. Masting.] To furnish with a mast or masts; to
put the masts of in position; as, to mast a ship.
Mastax
(||Mas"tax) n. [NL., fr. Gr. mouth, jaws.] (Zoöl.) (a) The pharynx of a rotifer. It usually contains
four horny pieces. The two central ones form the incus, against which the mallei, or lateral ones, work
so as to crush the food. (b) The lore of a bird.
Masted
(Mast"ed) a. Furnished with a mast or masts; — chiefly in composition; as, a three-masted schooner.
Master
(Mast"er) n. (Naut.) A vessel having (so many) masts; — used only in compounds; as, a two-
master.
Master
(Mas"ter) n. [OE. maistre, maister, OF. maistre, mestre, F. maître, fr. L. magister, orig. a
double comparative from the root of magnus great, akin to Gr. me`gas. Cf. Maestro, Magister, Magistrate,
Magnitude, Major, Mister, Mistress, Mickle.]
1. A male person having another living being so far subject to his will, that he can, in the main, control
his or its actions; — formerly used with much more extensive application than now. (a) The employer of
a servant. (b) The owner of a slave. (c) The person to whom an apprentice is articled. (d) A sovereign,
prince, or feudal noble; a chief, or one exercising similar authority. (e) The head of a household. (f)
The male head of a school or college. (g) A male teacher. (h) The director of a number of persons
performing a ceremony or sharing a feast. (i) The owner of a docile brute, — especially a dog or horse.
(j) The controller of a familiar spirit or other supernatural being.
2. One who uses, or controls at will, anything inanimate; as, to be master of one's time. Shak.
Master of a hundred thousand drachms.
Addison.
We are masters of the sea.
Jowett 3. One who has attained great skill in the use or application of anything; as, a master of oratorical art.
Great masters of ridicule.
Macaulay.
No care is taken to improve young men in their own language, that they may thoroughly understand and
be masters of it.
Locke. 4. A title given by courtesy, now commonly pronounced mister, except when given to boys; — sometimes
written Mister, but usually abbreviated to Mr.
5. A young gentleman; a lad, or small boy.
Where there are little masters and misses in a house, they are impediments to the diversions of the
servants.
Swift. 6. (Naut.) The commander of a merchant vessel; — usually called captain. Also, a commissioned
officer in the navy ranking next above ensign and below lieutenant; formerly, an officer on a man-of-war
who had immediate charge, under the commander, of sailing the vessel.
7. A person holding an office of authority among the Freemasons, esp. the presiding officer; also, a
person holding a similar office in other civic societies.
Little masters, certain German engravers of the 16th century, so called from the extreme smallness
of their prints. — Master in chancery, an officer of courts of equity, who acts as an assistant to the
chancellor or judge, by inquiring into various matters referred to him, and reporting thereon to the court.
— Master of arts, one who takes the second degree at a university; also, the degree or title itself, indicated
