資料來源 : pyDict
萬能鑰匙
資料來源 : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Master \Mas"ter\, n. [OE. maistre, maister, OF. maistre, mestre,
F. ma[^i]tre, fr. L. magister, orig. a double comparative
from the root of magnus great, akin to Gr. ?. Cf. {Maestro},
{Magister}, {Magistrate}, {Magnitude}, {Major}, {Mister},
{Mistress}, {Mickle}.]
1. A male person having another living being so far subject
to his will, that he can, in the main, control his or its
actions; -- formerly used with much more extensive
application than now.
(a) The employer of a servant.
(b) The owner of a slave.
(c) The person to whom an apprentice is articled.
(d) A sovereign, prince, or feudal noble; a chief, or one
exercising similar authority.
(e) The head of a household.
(f) The male head of a school or college.
(g) A male teacher.
(h) The director of a number of persons performing a
ceremony or sharing a feast.
(i) The owner of a docile brute, -- especially a dog or
horse.
(j) The controller of a familiar spirit or other
supernatural being.
2. One who uses, or controls at will, anything inanimate; as,
to be master of one's time. --Shak.
Master of a hundred thousand drachms. --Addison.
We are masters of the sea. --Jowett
(Thucyd. ).
3. One who has attained great skill in the use or application
of anything; as, a master of oratorical art.
Great masters of ridicule. --Maccaulay.
No care is taken to improve young men in their own
language, that they may thoroughly understand and be
masters of it. --Locke.
4. A title given by courtesy, now commonly pronounced
m[i^]ster, except when given to boys; -- sometimes written
{Mister}, but usually abbreviated to Mr.
5. A young gentleman; a lad, or small boy.
Where there are little masters and misses in a
house, they are impediments to the diversions of the
servants. --Swift.
6. (Naut.) The commander of a merchant vessel; -- usually
called captain. Also, a commissioned officer in the navy
ranking next above ensign and below lieutenant; formerly,
an officer on a man-of-war who had immediate charge, under
the commander, of sailing the vessel.
7. A person holding an office of authority among the
Freemasons, esp. the presiding officer; also, a person
holding a similar office in other civic societies.
{Little masters}, certain German engravers of the 16th
century, so called from the extreme smallness of their
prints.
{Master in chancery}, an officer of courts of equity, who
acts as an assistant to the chancellor or judge, by
inquiring into various matters referred to him, and
reporting thereon to the court.
{Master of arts}, one who takes the second degree at a
university; also, the degree or title itself, indicated by
the abbreviation M. A., or A. M.
{Master of the horse}, the third great officer in the British
court, having the management of the royal stables, etc. In
ceremonial cavalcades he rides next to the sovereign.
{Master of the rolls}, in England, an officer who has charge
of the rolls and patents that pass the great seal, and of
the records of the chancery, and acts as assistant judge
of the court. --Bouvier. --Wharton.
{Past master}, one who has held the office of master in a
lodge of Freemasons or in a society similarly organized.
{The old masters}, distinguished painters who preceded modern
painters; especially, the celebrated painters of the 16th
and 17th centuries.
{To be master of one's self}, to have entire self-control;
not to be governed by passion.
{To be one's own master}, to be at liberty to act as one
chooses without dictation from anybody.
Note: Master, signifying chief, principal, masterly,
superior, thoroughly skilled, etc., is often used
adjiectively or in compounds; as, master builder or
master-builder, master chord or master-chord, master
mason or master-mason, master workman or
master-workman, master mechanic, master mind, master
spirit, master passion, etc.
Throughout the city by the master gate.
--Chaucer.
{Master joint} (Geol.), a quarryman's term for the more
prominent and extended joints traversing a rock mass.
{Master key}, a key adapted to open several locks differing
somewhat from each other; figuratively, a rule or
principle of general application in solving difficulties.
{Master lode} (Mining), the principal vein of ore.
{Master mariner}, an experienced and skilled seaman who is
certified to be competent to command a merchant vessel.
{Master sinew} (Far.), a large sinew that surrounds the hough
of a horse, and divides it from the bone by a hollow
place, where the windgalls are usually seated.
{Master singer}. See {Mastersinger}.
{Master stroke}, a capital performance; a masterly
achievement; a consummate action; as, a master stroke of
policy.
{Master tap} (Mech.), a tap for forming the thread in a screw
cutting die.
{Master touch}.
(a) The touch or skill of a master. --Pope.
(b) Some part of a performance which exhibits very
skillful work or treatment. ``Some master touches of
this admirable piece.'' --Tatler.
{Master work}, the most important work accomplished by a
skilled person, as in architecture, literature, etc.;
also, a work which shows the skill of a master; a
masterpiece.
{Master workman}, a man specially skilled in any art,
handicraft, or trade, or who is an overseer, foreman, or
employer.
資料來源 : WordNet®
master key
n : key that secures entrance everywhere [syn: {passkey}, {passe-partout},
{master}]