Etymologically
Log in

maître

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 17:35. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /mɛtʁ/[1]
  • IPA: /mɛːtʁ/[1]
  • IPA (Quebec): [maɛ̯tʁ][1]

Forms

maître m (plural maîtres, feminine maîtresse or maître)[1] Old French maistre, mestre;[2] maître from the Académie of 1740.[2][3] Feminine maîtresse (12th century).[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French maistre, inherited from Latin magister (“chief, master, teacher”),[2][5][4][1][6] probably derived from magis (“more”),[2][7][8] like minister from minus.[7] Magister replaced classical Latin dominus (“master of the house”), which survives in dom and dame.[2][5] French also had the learned magistre until the 16th century.[2]

Doublets are magister, maestro (from Italian) and master (from English).[1] Cognate with Italian maestro and Spanish maestro.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) has maistre both as a noun, a person who has power over others, and in apposition with the sense “chief, most important”.[2][9]

Semantic evolution

The idea of “most important” survives in maître-autel “high altar” (about 1160), maître-couple (1765) and carte maîtresse “winning card”.[2][9] The noun covers the master of servants or slaves, the owner, the head of a trade guild, and the teacher: maistre escole (late 13th century), maître d'école (17th century).[3][5][8] As a title it is given to lawyers and notaries, and to great artists (les maîtres flamands).[1][8]

The feminine maîtresse (13th century) took the sense “mistress, lover”.[5][8] Derivatives include maîtrise (1191), maîtriser (about 1200) and contremaître (1425).[5]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Maistre (Roland).[2][4]
  • c. 1160 – Maître-autel.[2]
  • 1191 – Maîtrise.[5]
  • late 13th century – Maistre escole.[5]
  • 1425 – Contremaître.[5]
  • 1740 – The spelling maître.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A master; one who has authority over others or owns something: maître de maison.[8][1]
  2. A primary-school teacher: maître d'école.[8][1]
  3. One who excels in an art or is taken as a model: les maîtres flamands.[8]
  4. Maître: a title of lawyers and notaries.[1][8]
  5. (navy) A petty officer.[1]

Adjective

  1. Chief, principal: pièce maîtresse, maître mot.[8][9]

Word family

  • maîtresse
  • maîtrise
  • maîtriser
  • contremaître
  • petit-maître

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/1, 34a
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse