Meister German · revision 35869

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=765, Old High German glosses|origins=la magister}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈmaɪ̯stɐ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Meister''' ''m'' (genitive Meisters, plural Meister, feminine Meisterin)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|meister]], [[inh|goh|meistar]], [[bor|la|magister|t=master, chief, teacher]], borrowed in the 8th century, as was [[ang|magister]].^(Kluge 2011|613)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|546) The EWA says it came through Vulgar Latin or Old French, and Wiktionary reconstructs [[gmw-pro|*maistar]], from [[la-vul|*maester]].^(EWA|6, 261)^(Wiktionary) The Grimms' dictionary explains the loss of the inner g by the German stress on the first syllable; early Old High German texts still have the unreduced Latin form.^(DWB|12, 1952) [[osx|mēstar]] was borrowed in the same way, and the word is also [[nl|meester]], [[en|master]], [[fr|maître]] and [[sv|mästare]].^(Kluge 2011|613)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|12, 1952) [[Magister]] is a later, learned borrowing of the same Latin word, and [[Maestro]] a modern one from Italian.^(Kluge 2011|613)^(EWA|6, 261)

+

+ Köbler connects the Latin word with [[m|la|magis|t=more]].^(Köbler AHD) The Frankish court used the Latin word as a title of high officials after the Roman model, and the Church found it in the Vulgate as the translation of Greek words for “teacher”, which Gothic rendered with a native word, [[got|𐌻𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃|tr=laisareis]].^(DWB|12, 1952)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''meistar'' is recorded from 765 in glosses and is frequent in Tatian, Otfrid and Notker.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|219) It meant a teacher (also translating ''rabbi'' and used of Christ), a learned man, an artist or master builder, a craftsman, and a leader or ruler.^(EWA|6, 261)^(AWB)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the early Middle Ages it named someone who mastered and perhaps taught an art or science, and also an official in charge of some department, as in [[Bürgermeister]], [[Hofmeister]] and [[Jägermeister]].^(Paul 2002) The sense now most usual, a master craftsman of a guild, developed in the late Middle Ages.^(Paul 2002)^(FWB) The Meistersinger, the guild poets of the late medieval towns, took their name from it.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ Used loosely, it means someone who is perfect at something or who has power over something: ''seinen Meister finden'' is to meet one's superior, and ''einer Sache Meister werden'' to master it.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The sporting sense “champion” is modern.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) German ''Meister'' was borrowed into Hungarian (''majszter'', 1611, ''hopmester'', a church official, 1408), Polish ''majster'', Slovene ''mojster'' and English ''meister''.^(LWP)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 765 – Old High German ''meistar'' appears in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * c. 1000 – The feminine ''meistarinna'' and the abstract ''meistarscaft'' are recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 2nd half of the 13th century – ''Meistersang'' names the art of the masters of song.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1408 – Hungarian ''hopmester'' is borrowed from German.^(LWP)

+ * 16th century – ''Meisterstück'' names a craftsman's masterpiece for the guild examination.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 17th century – ''meisterhaft'' “masterly” is formed.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|546)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|master craftsman]] who has passed the master's examination in a trade; also a foreman in charge of a section in a firm.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # An expert, someone very skilled in a field or an art: ''ein Meister der Sprache''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A great [[m|en|artist]], especially in painting and music: ''die alten Meister''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(formal)'' A revered teacher or religious leader, as seen by his pupils or followers.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(sports)'' A [[m|en|champion]], the winner of a championship.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Meisterin]]

+ * [[meisterhaft]]

+ * [[meisterlich]]

+ * [[meistern]]

+ * [[Meisterschaft]]

+ * [[Meisterstück]]

+ * [[Bürgermeister]]

+ * [[Meistersinger]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Magister]]

+ * [[Magistrat]]

+ * [[Maestro]]

+ * [[en|master]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Übung macht den Meister'' “practice makes perfect” and ''es ist noch kein Meister vom Himmel gefallen'' “no one is born a master” are proverbs.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''Früh übt sich, was ein Meister werden will'' is a line from Schiller's ''Wilhelm Tell''.^(Duden GWDS 1999) Paul notes that as a predicate without the article the word comes close to an adjective, so that Schiller could write ''daß wir über eine Leidenschaft Meister werden'' with a plural subject.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}