maître French · revision 15657

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1100, Chanson de Roland (maistre)|origins=la magis}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /mɛtʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA: /mɛːtʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Quebec): [maɛ̯tʁ]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''maître''' ''m'' (plural maîtres, feminine maîtresse or maître)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French ''maistre'', ''mestre'';^(DHLF 1992) ''maître'' from the Académie of 1740.^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi) Feminine ''maîtresse'' (12th century).^(Grand Robert 2005)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|maistre]], [[inh|la|magister|t=chief, master, teacher]],^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Wiktionary)^(FEW|6/1, 34a) probably derived from [[m|la|magis|t=more]],^(DHLF 1992)^(Littré 1873)^(Petit Robert 2007) like [[m|la|minister]] from [[m|la|minus]].^(Littré 1873) ''Magister'' replaced classical [[la|dominus|t=master of the house]], which survives in [[dom]] and [[dame]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) French also had the learned [[m|fro|magistre]] until the 16th century.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ Doublets are [[magister]], [[maestro]] (from Italian) and [[master]] (from English).^(Wiktionary) Cognate with [[it|maestro]] and [[es|maestro]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==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”.^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The idea of “most important” survives in ''maître-autel'' “high altar” (about 1160), ''maître-couple'' (1765) and ''carte maîtresse'' “winning card”.^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989) 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).^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Petit Robert 2007) As a title it is given to lawyers and notaries, and to great artists (''les maîtres flamands'').^(Wiktionary)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ The feminine ''maîtresse'' (13th century) took the sense “mistress, lover”.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Petit Robert 2007) Derivatives include ''maîtrise'' (1191), ''maîtriser'' (about 1200) and ''contremaître'' (1425).^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1100 – ''Maistre'' (''Roland'').^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+ * c. 1160 – ''Maître-autel''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1191 – ''Maîtrise''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * late 13th century – ''Maistre escole''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1425 – ''Contremaître''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1740 – The spelling ''maître''.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|master]]; one who has authority over others or owns something: ''maître de maison''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A primary-school [[m|en|teacher]]: ''maître d'école''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # One who excels in an art or is taken as a model: ''les maîtres flamands''.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''Maître'': a title of lawyers and notaries.^(Wiktionary)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''(navy)'' A petty officer.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Chief, principal: ''pièce maîtresse'', ''maître mot''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[maîtresse]]

+ * [[maîtrise]]

+ * [[maîtriser]]

+ * [[contremaître]]

+ * [[petit-maître]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[magistral]]

+ * [[maestro]]

+ * [[la|magister]]

+ * [[en|master]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}