master

mas|ter1 [ `mæstər ] noun count **

1. ) a man who is very good at something:

master at: Reardon is an absolute master at this type of shot.

master of: He's a master of the clever remark.

a ) a famous artist:

original prints from modern masters such as Chagall and Hockney

2. ) OLD-FASHIONED a man who has control over servants or other people who work for him:

Many children found themselves working for masters who exploited them.

a ) a person who has control over other people:

Civil servants simply implement the policies of their political masters.

b ) a person who has control over something:

be master of something: a system under which people are masters of their own lives

c ) the man who owns a particular dog:

See how she stays close to her master.

d ) a man who is the official leader of an organization, group, or event

=> MASTER OF CEREMONIES

e ) master or Master a man who is in charge of a college in some British universities or of a building where people live in some colleges in the U.S.

f ) the CAPTAIN of a ship that carries goods

g ) BRITISH OLD-FASHIONED a male teacher

3. ) a document, photograph, RECORDING, etc. from which copies are made: ORIGINAL:

a digital master

4. ) Master OLD-FASHIONED used for talking to or about a young boy

a ) Master used for talking to or about some religious leaders or teachers of MARTIAL ARTS

be a past master

to be very good at something because you have been doing it for a long time:

They are past masters at dealing with political scandals.

serve one/two etc. masters

to be controlled by one/two etc. things or people

master

mas|ter 2 [ `mæstər ] verb transitive *

1. ) to learn something thoroughly so that you know it or can do it very well:

Even after studying it for years, she never managed to master the Greek language.

master the art of (doing) something: Lewis has mastered the art of giving nothing away in interviews.

2. ) to manage to control something such as an emotion:

It seemed that the Senator was unable to master his feelings.

master

mas|ter 3 [ `mæstər ] adjective only before noun

1. ) a master document, photograph, recording, etc. is one from which copies are made:

the master tape

2. ) used with the name of a job to show that someone has a great deal of experience and skill and can train other people:

His father was a master carpenter.