mastro

Forms

mastro m (plural mastri)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin magister (“master”), through a Vulgar Latin accusative *magĭstrum, and is another outcome of the same word as maestro.^[2][3][4][1] The ⟨g⟩ was lost and the resulting ⟨ai⟩ was reduced to ⟨a⟩, as in frale from fragilis.^[2][5] Nocentini explains the reduction by the word's use as a title before a name, where it was not fully stressed.^[3] Devoto compares prete from an older Old Italian preite.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Chiaro Davanzati, in the 13th century, uses mastro for “master, teacher”, and Mazzeo di Ricco in the same century for a skilled craftsman.^[2] DEI dates mastro marinaio to the 13th century as well.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The word kept the sense “first, principal” that maestro had: DEI records città mastra for a capital city in the 14th century, and the adjective is dated before 1386.^[6][2] It survives in libro mastro, the ledger that collects all the entries of the other books: Bizoni has libro maestro in 1606, a Tuscan document libro mastro in 1689, and mastro alone means the ledger from 1891.^[2][3] Dante calls Virgil lo mastro: “Così mi fece sbigottir lo mastro”.^[4][7]

In the trades mastro became the title of a skilled workman who leads others, as in mastro d'ascia, a shipwright, which DEI records in 1602 as a southern word.^[6][8] In the centre and south it was also a title of respect put before a name, and in the south it can mean a bricklayer.^[9][10] The feminine mastra, the hole in a ship's deck for a mast, is recorded in 1834.^[3]

Timeline

• 1200s – Chiaro Davanzati uses mastro “master”.^[2]
• 1200s – Mazzeo di Ricco uses it for a skilled craftsman.^[2]
• 1300s – Città mastra is used for a capital city.^[6]
• Before 1386 – The adjective “principal” is recorded.^[2]
• 1602 – Mastro d'ascia “shipwright” is recorded.^[6]
• 1689 – Libro mastro appears in a Tuscan document.^[2]
• 1834 – Mastra, the mast hole in a ship's deck, is recorded.^[3]
• 1891 – Mastro alone is used for the ledger.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A skilled craftsman or workman who directs less skilled ones, often before the name of the trade: mastro falegname (master carpenter).^[4][9][8]
2. (regional, dated) A title of respect put before a person's name: mastro Antonio.^[4][9][1]
3. (regional, southern Italy) A bricklayer.^[9]
4. (accounting) Short for libro mastro: the ledger.^[4][9][10]
5. (archaic) A master or guide.^[4][9][10]

Adjective

1. (archaic) Principal, main.^[4][10][1]

Word family

• mastra
• mastrino
• capomastro

Related words

• maestro
• Latin magister

Usage notes

Fixed phrases include mastro d'ascia (shipwright), mastro di casa (steward of a great house) and the joking mastro impicca (the hangman).^[8][4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b c d e Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e f g h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
5. ^ a b Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2387
7. ^ Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
8. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
9. ^ a b c d e f Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
10. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse