Etymologically
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mason

Etymology and origin of the English word mason

History Permalink
Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1200
Borrowed from
Old French maçon
Ultimate origin
Old French (maçon)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmeɪsən/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English machun, masoun, borrowed from Old French maçon (“stonemason”), masson (Old North French machun),[2][3][4][5] probably from Frankish *makjo or another Germanic source, related to make;[3][5][6] compare Old High German steinmezzo, stonemason.[3] It may instead come from or be influenced by Medieval Latin machio, matio, which Isidore derives from machina.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A builder and worker in stone: probably before 1200, in Layamon;[2] about 1205 in the OED; as a surname from the early 12th century.[7][3]

Semantic evolution

A member of the fraternity of Freemasons is from the early 15th century (1425).[3][7] Insects such as mason bees, which build nests of mud or sand, are from 1816.[7] The verb, to build of stone, is late Middle English.[8] The Mason jar, a glass jar with a screw lid, is by 1868.[3] Masonry is from the 14th century.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1200 – a stonemason.[2]
  • 1425 – a Freemason.[7]
  • 1816 – mason bee.[7]
  • 1868 – Mason jar.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A builder and worker in stone; a stonemason.
  2. (Mason) A Freemason.

Verb

  1. To build or strengthen with stone.

Word family

  • freemason
  • masonic
  • nonmason
  • stonemason
  • masonry
  • mason bee
  • mason wasp
  • make

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Mason.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/mason. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·