Master (form of address)
Encyclopedia
Master is an archaic masculine title or form of address in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

.

In English and Welsh society

Master was used in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 for men of some rank, especially "free masters" of a trade guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...

 and by any manual worker or servant employee to his employer (his master), but also generally by those lower in status to gentlemen
Gentleman
The term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...

, priests, or scholars. In the Elizabethan period, it was used between equals, especially to a group ("My masters"), mainly by urban artisans and tradespeople. It was later extended to all respectable men and was the forerunner of Mister
Mr.
Mister, usually written in its abbreviated form Mr or Mr. , is a commonly used English honorific for men under the rank of knighthood. The title derived from master, as the equivalent female titles, Mrs., Miss, and Ms, all derived from the archaic mistress...

. Master is used sometimes to describe the male head of a large estate or household who employs many domestic worker
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...

s.

After its replacement in common speech by Mister, Master was retained as a form of address for boys or young men. By the late 19th century, etiquette
Etiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...

 dictated that men be addressed as Mister, boys under 13 years old be addressed as Master, and from 13 to the age of maturity males not be accorded courtesy titles. However, in more recent times it is not uncommon for secondary school boys (and sometimes older primary school boys, but not, typically, younger) to be addressed as Mister, though some etiquette writers hold that the title Mr should not be used until the boy has left school. The title Master is much less frequently used than formerly, though it is sometimes still used as the written form of address for boys below some undefined age, often regarded as about 13 in formal correspondence, particularly invitations to formal events, however, by the end of the 20th century, the age is widely regarded to be 18, and anything below would be considered improper to refer to as 'mister'.

In Scottish society

The heir to a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 lord
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...

ship, baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...

y or viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...

cy is given the style or dignity Master of followed by his father's title. For instance, the heir of Lord Elphinstone
Lord Elphinstone
Lord Elphinstone, of Elphinstone in the County of Stirling, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1510 for Alexander Elphinstone who was killed at the Battle of Flodden three years later. He was succeeded by his son, the second Lord, killed at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547....

 is known as the Master of Elphinstone; The Master of Ballantrae
The Master of Ballantrae
The Master of Ballantrae: A Winter's Tale is a book by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, focusing upon the conflict between two brothers, Scottish noblemen whose family is torn apart by the Jacobite rising of 1745...

by Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....

 is about the ignoble heir to a noble house.

Master is also commonly used to refer to males under 16 years (the legal age of maturity in Scotland). The Bank of Scotland uses Master until 16, when Mr is adopted. There is no female equivalent (Miss being used unless Ms is preferred before, or sometimes after, marriage).

In Canada

It was formerly common (in Anglophone Canada) for the English usage of master to be followed for boys, when addressing letters or in formal address, but use of the title Master has now largely ceased, outside of highly formal situations (such as for weddings and wedding invitations).

In French-speaking areas of Canada, such as Québec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

 and New-Brunswick, maître is used for the law professions, as in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 (see below).

In France

In France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, maître is the correct form of address for law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

 professions such as attorneys
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 and notaries
Civil law notary
Civil-law notaries, or Latin notaries, are lawyers of noncontentious private civil law who draft, take, and record legal instruments for private parties, provide legal advice and give attendance in person, and are vested as public officers with the authentication power of the State...

, whether they hold a bachelor's, a master's, or a doctor's degree. It is used only in professional settings. The abbreviated form is Me.

In the United States

The use of Master as a form of address is rare, and is now used only for young boys in highly formal situations, such as for formal invitations. The age at which the transition from master to mister takes place is not strictly observed, though approximately 13, or the beginning of high school for those who still observe the distinction.

From Master derived the Eye dialect
Eye dialect
Eye dialect is the use of non-standard spelling for speech to draw attention to pronunciation. The term was originally coined by George P. Krapp to refer to the literary technique of using non-standard spelling that implies a pronunciation of the given word that is actually standard, such as...

 spelling Massa, representing African American Vernacular English
African American Vernacular English
African American Vernacular English —also called African American English; less precisely Black English, Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular , or Black Vernacular English —is an African American variety of American English...

. It is now associated with slavery, since in the post-colonial U.S. it was the common form of address for slaves to refer to their owners, or any white males in general.

In institutions

Some academic institutions, notably colleges within universities such as Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...

 and Durham, have a post of Master
Master (college)
A Master is the title of the head of some colleges and other educational institutions. This applies especially at some colleges and institutions at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge .- See also :* Master A Master (or in female form Mistress) is the title of the head of some...

, generally being the head of the institution. In formal address it can be customary to address such persons as Master, for example at the beginning of a speech: Master, President, Senior Members, ladies and gentlemen:.

Within the four Inns of Court
Inns of Court
The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. All such barristers must belong to one such association. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional...

, the governing bodies are formed by the Masters of the Bench, all of whom will be addressed by as, for example, Master Bloggs, notwithstanding that they may be Mr Bloggs QC, Lord Bloggs or Judge Bloggs at work or in outside life. There is also a category of junior judges, the High Court Masters, who are properly addressed as Master. In all these cases, the title Master is applied to women as well as men.

In Canada, judicial officers (deputy judges) called Masters may be appointed to the Superior Court
Court system of Canada
The court system of Canada is made up of many courts differing in levels of legal superiority and separated by jurisdiction. Some of the courts are federal in nature while others are provincial or territorial....

 of a province, and are generally appointed to courthouses located in larger cities. Masters may adjudicate interim matters in court cases and are formally addressed as "Master" or "Sir"/"Madam".

The head of almost every London Livery Company
Livery Company
The Livery Companies are 108 trade associations in the City of London, almost all of which are known as the "Worshipful Company of" the relevant trade, craft or profession. The medieval Companies originally developed as guilds and were responsible for the regulation of their trades, controlling,...

 is the Master, and addressed as such.

The head of a Masonic
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...

 Lodge is the Master, and addressed as Worshipful Master (not to be confused with the degree of Master Mason, which is not a form of address.)

Some American college preparatory schools refer to their instructors as Masters, based on the British model, which echoes the medieval title "magister" (master) for university professors. The head of a school is sometimes referred to as the headmaster.

Officers serving in command of merchant vessels are formally known as the Master of the vessel. They are qualified by holding a Master Mariner
Master mariner
A Master Mariner or MM is the professional qualification required for someone to serve as the person in charge or person in command of a commercial vessel. In England, the term Master Mariner has been in use at least since the 13th century, reflecting the fact that in guild or livery company terms,...

's licence.

In martial arts

There are two distinct and disparate uses of this term in martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

: functional and honorific
Honorific
An honorific is a word or expression with connotations conveying esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term is used not quite correctly to refer to an honorary title...

.

Functionally, the founder or current head of a school of martial art may, technically, be referred to as "Master (name)." This use does not connote proficiency, but only local authority and deference. Also, although it rarely occurs in English-speaking cultures, a student and teacher may enter into a formal master-disciple relationship, in which case it would be appropriate for the disciple to address his or her teacher as Master.

Honorifically, one may be accorded this title by the lineage holder or an authorized council of a martial tradition. This use does connote proficiency and trustworthiness. Such recognition usually comes in the form of an official certificate or letter of recognition, such as the Japanese Shihan
Shihan
- Title of "Master" is a Japanese Honorific Title, Expert License Certification used in Japanese martial arts for Master Level Instructors. The award of the Expert License Certification is if designated by the qualification by virtue of endorsement by the [A] Association of Chief Instructors or [B]...

 Certificate. Sometimes grandmaster
Grandmaster (martial arts)
Grandmaster and Master are titles used to describe or address some senior or experienced martial artists. Such titles may be, to some extent, aligned to the elderly martial arts master stock character in fiction...

is used as well or instead.

Other uses in society

In some educational systems (e.g. British), male schoolteachers were or are often referred to as masters, in addition to the usual forms of the headmaster, second master
Second master
A deputy head teacher, deputy headmaster or deputy headmistress is the second most senior teacher in a school in the United Kingdom and elsewhere....

, and, in a few schools, the high master
High Master
High Master may refer to:* The Hochmeister or Grand Masters of the Teutonic Knights* The heads of St Paul's School and Manchester Grammar School...

. In the United Kingdom, the term is still used in many independent schools, but almost never in state schools.

A tradesman who has qualified on completion of his apprenticeship may be described as a Master Plumber, Master Baker, etc., although that is not a form of address. The term is generally used to refer to an artisan considered to be at the top of their craft.

It is sometimes appropriate to refer to an adult as “master” on account of his marital status or age relative to the person using the address. This is occasionally used as a petty insult.

The term "Master" can also be used in BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...

 relationships by submissive or slave
Sexual slavery (BDSM)
As it pertains to BDSM, slavery refers to a dominant person owning a submissive person as their property. It is a consensual exchange of power between individuals. The use of the term 'sex slave' rather than just 'slave' is sometimes used to differentiate between consensual slavery and...

 partners, primarily to denote respect and the dominant partner's higher status in the relationship. While it is usually applied to men, some women also adopt the title in lieu of a specifically female form of address.

In fiction

In fiction, master is often used to indicate a teacher/pupil relationship or for higher-ranking persons than the speaker.

Master Harold...and the Boys
Master Harold...and the Boys
Master Harold...and the boys is a play by Athol Fugard. It was first produced at the Yale Repertory Theatre in early 1982 and made its premiere on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre on 4 May where it ran for 344 performances...

, a 1982 play written by Athol Fugard, demonstrates the use of "Master" to denote the social structure of South Africa under apartheid.

In the Batman comics and films, the main (adult) character: Bruce Wayne is referred to as 'Master Bruce' by Alfred his Butler and others.

See also

  • Grandmaster (disambiguation)
  • Italian honorifics
    Italian honorifics
    -Nobility:As part of the republican constitution that became effective in Italy on 1 January 1948, titles of nobility ceased to be recognized in law , and the organ of state which had regulated them, the Consulta Araldica, was eliminated...

  • Mistress (form of address)
    Mistress (form of address)
    Mistress is an old form of address for a woman. It implies "lady of the house", especially a woman who is head of a household.An example is Mistress Quickly in Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. The title did not necessarily distinguish between married and unmarried women.The title Mrs. is...

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