Masterdom Mas"ter·dom noun [
Master +
-dom .]
Dominion; rule; command. [ R.]
Shak.
Masterful Mas"ter·ful adjective 1. Inclined to play the master; domineering; imperious; arbitrary. Dryden. 2. Having the skill or power of a master; indicating or expressing power or mastery. His masterful , pale face.
Mrs. Browning.
Masterfully Mas"ter·ful·ly adverb In a masterful manner; imperiously. A lawless and rebellious man who held lands masterfully and in high contempt of the royal authority.
Macaulay.
Masterhood Mas"ter·hood noun The state of being a master; hence, disposition to command or hector. C. Bronté.
Masterless Mas"ter·less adjective Destitute of a master or owner; ungoverned or ungovernable. --
Mas"ter*less*ness ,
noun
Masterliness Mas"ter·li·ness noun The quality or state of being masterly; ability to control wisely or skillfully.
Masterly Mas"ter·ly adjective 1. Suitable to, or characteristic of, a master; indicating thorough knowledge or superior skill and power; showing a master's hand; as, a masterly design; a masterly performance; a masterly policy. "A wise and
masterly inactivity."
Sir J. Mackintosh. 2. Imperious; domineering; arbitrary.
Masterly Mas"ter·ly adverb With the skill of a master. Thou dost speak masterly .
Shak.
Masterous Mas"ter·ous adjective Masterly. [ Obsolete]
Milton.
Masterpiece Mas"ter·piece` noun Anything done or made with extraordinary skill; a capital performance; a chef- d'œuvre; a supreme achievement. The top and masterpiece of art.
South. Dissimulation was his masterpiece .
Claredon.
Mastership Mas"ter·ship noun 1. The state or office of a master. 2. Mastery; dominion; superior skill; superiority. Where noble youths for mastership should strive.
Driden. 3. Chief work; masterpiece. [ Obsolete]
Dryden. 4. An ironical title of respect. How now, seignior Launce ! what news with your mastership ?
Shak.
Mastersinger Mas"ter·sing`er noun [ A translation of German
meistersänger .]
One of a class of poets which flourished in Nuremberg and some other cities of Germany in the 15th and 16th centuries. They bound themselves to observe certain arbitrary laws of rhythm.
Masterwort Mas"ter·wort` noun (Botany) (a) A tall and coarse European umbelliferous plant ( Peucedanum Ostruthium , formerly Imperatoria ). (b) The Astrantia major , a European umbelliferous plant with a showy colored involucre. (c) Improperly, the cow parsnip ( Heracleum lanatum ).
Mastery Mas"ter·y noun ;
plural Masteries . [ Old French
maistrie .]
1. The position or authority of a master; dominion; command; supremacy; superiority. If divided by mountains, they will fight for the mastery of the passages of the tops.
Sir W. Raleigh. 2. Superiority in war or competition; victory; triumph; preëminence. The voice of them that shout for mastery .
Ex. xxxii. 18. Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.
1 Cor. ix. 25. O, but to have gulled him
Had been a mastery .
B. Jonson. 3. Contest for superiority. [ Obsolete]
Holland. 4. A masterly operation; a feat. [ Obsolete]
I will do a maistrie ere I go.
Chaucer. 5. Specifically, the philosopher's stone. [ Obsolete]
6. The act process of mastering; the state of having mastered. He could attain to a mastery in all languages.
Tillotson. The learning and mastery of a tongue, being unpleasant in itself, should not be cumbered with other difficulties.
Locke.
Mastful Mast"ful adjective [ See lst
Mast .]
Abounding in mast; producing mast in abundance; as, the mastful forest; a mastful chestnut. Dryden.
Masthead Mast"head` noun (Nautical) The top or head of a mast; the part of a mast above the hounds.
Masthead Mast"head" transitive verb (Nautical) To cause to go to the masthead as a punishment. Marryat.
Masthouse Mast"house` noun A building in which vessels' masts are shaped, fitted, etc.
Mastic Mas"tic noun [ French, from Latin
mastiche ,
mastichum , Greek ..., from ... to chew, because of its being used in the East for chewing.] [ Written also
mastich .]
1. (Botany) A low shrubby tree of the genus Pistacia ( P. Lentiscus ), growing upon the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean, and producing a valuable resin; -- called also, mastic tree . 2. A resin exuding from the mastic tree, and obtained by incision. The best is in yellowish white, semitransparent tears, of a faint smell, and is used as an astringent and an aromatic, also as an ingredient in varnishes. 3. A kind of cement composed of burnt clay, litharge, and linseed oil, used for plastering walls, etc. Barbary mastic (Botany) ,
the Pistachia Atlantica . --
Peruvian mastic tree (Botany) ,
a small tree ( Schinus Molle ) with peppery red berries; -- called also pepper tree . --
West Indian mastic (Botany) ,
a lofty tree ( Bursera gummifera ) full of gum resin in every part.
Masticable Mas"ti·ca·ble adjective Capable of being masticated.
Masticador Mas`ti·ca"dor noun [ Confer Spanish
mastigador . See
Masticate .]
(Man.) A part of a bridle, the slavering bit. [ Written also
mastigador .]
Masticate Mas"ti·cate transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Masticated ;
present participle & verbal noun Masticating .] [ Latin
masticatus , past participle of
masticare to chew, probably from
mastiche mastic. See
Mastic .]
To grind or crush with, or as with, the teeth and prepare for swallowing and digestion; to chew; as, to masticate food.
Masticater Mas"ti·ca`ter noun One who masticates.
Mastication Mas`ti·ca"tion noun [ Latin
masticatio : confer French
mastication .]
The act or operation of masticating; chewing, as of food. Mastication is a necessary preparation of solid aliment, without which there can be no good digestion.
Arbuthnot.
Masticator Mas"ti·ca`tor noun 1. One who masticates. 2. A machine for cutting meat into fine pieces for toothless people; also, a machine for cutting leather, India rubber, or similar tough substances, into fine pieces, in some processes of manufacture.
Masticatory Mas"ti·ca·to·ry adjective [ Confer French
masticatoire .]
Chewing; adapted to perform the office of chewing food.
Masticatory Mas"ti·ca·to·ry noun ;
plural -ries (Medicine) A substance to be chewed to increase the saliva. Bacon.
Mastich Mas"tich noun See Mastic .
Masticin Mas"ti·cin noun (Chemistry) A white, amorphous, tenacious substance resembling caoutchouc, and obtained as an insoluble residue of mastic.
Masticot Mas"ti·cot noun (Chemistry) Massicot. [ Obsolete]
Mastiff Mas"tiff noun ;
plural Mastiffs [
Mastives is irregular and unusual.] [ Prob. from Prov. English
masty , adj., large, noun , a great dog, probably from
mast fruit, and hence, lit., fattened with mast. There is perhaps confusion with Old French
mestif mongrel; confer also French
mâtin mastiff, Old French
mastin .]
(Zoology) A breed of large dogs noted for strength and courage. There are various strains, differing in form and color, and characteristic of different countries. Mastiff bat (Zoology) , any bat of the genus Molossus ; so called because the face somewhat resembles that of a mastiff.
Mastigopod Mas"ti·go·pod noun (Zoology) One of the Mastigopoda.
Mastigopoda Mas`ti·gop"o·da noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek
ma`stix ,
-igos , a whip +
poy`s ,
podo`s , foot.]
(Zoology) The Infusoria.
Mastigure Mas"ti·gure noun [ Greek
ma`stix ,
-igos , a scourge + ... tail.]
(Zoology) Any one of several large spiny-tailed lizards of the genus Uromastix . They inhabit Southern Asia and North Africa.
Masting Mast"ing noun (Nautical) The act or process of putting a mast or masts into a vessel; also, the scientific principles which determine the position of masts, and the mechanical methods of placing them. Masting house (Nautical) ,
a large building, with suitable mechanism overhanging the water, used for stepping and unstepping the masts of vessels.
Mastitis Mas·ti"tis noun [ Greek
masto`s breast +
-itis .]
(Medicine) Inflammation of the breast.
Mastless Mast"less adjective [ See lst
Mast .]
Bearing no mast; as, a mastless oak or beech. Dryden.
Mastless Mast"less adjective [ See 2d
Mast .]
Having no mast; as, a mastless vessel.
Mastlin Mast"lin (măst"lĭn)
noun See Maslin .
Mastodon Mas"to·don noun [ Greek
masto`s the breast +
'odoy`s ,
'odo`ntos , a tooth. So called from the conical projections upon its molar teeth.]
(Paleon.) An extinct genus of mammals closely allied to the elephant, but having less complex molar teeth, and often a pair of lower, as well as upper, tusks, which are incisor teeth. The species were mostly larger than elephants, and their remains occur in nearly all parts of the world in deposits ranging from Miocene to late Quaternary time.
Mastodonsaurus Mas`to·don·sau"rus noun [ New Latin , from English
Mastodon + Greek
say^ros a lizard.]
(Paleon.) A large extinct genus of labyrinthodonts, found in the European Triassic rocks.
Mastodontic Mas`to·don"tic adjective Pertaining to, or resembling, a mastodon; as, mastodontic dimensions. Everett.
Mastodynia, Mastodyny Mas`to·dyn"i·a, Mas·tod"y·ny noun [ New Latin
mastodynia , from Greek
masto`s the breast + ... pain.]
(Medicine) Pain occuring in the mamma or female breast, -- a form of neuralgia.
Mastoid Mas"toid adjective [ Greek ...;
masto`s the breast + ... form: confer French
mastoïde .]
(Anat.) (a) Resembling the nipple or the breast; -- applied specifically to a process of the temporal bone behind the ear. (b) Pertaining to, or in the region of, the mastoid process; mastoidal.
Mastoidal Mas·toid"al adjective Same as Mastoid .
Mastoiditis Mas`toid·i·tis noun [ New Latin See
Mastoid , and
-itis .]
(Medicine) Inflammation in the mastoid process of the temporal bone.
Mastology Mas·tol"o·gy noun [ Greek
masto`s the breast +
-logy : confer French
mastologie .]
The natural history of Mammalia.
Mastress Mas"tress noun Mistress. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Masturbation Mas`tur·ba"tion noun [ Latin
masturbatus , past participle of
masturbari to practice onanism: confer French
masturbation .]
Onanism; self-pollution.
Masty Mast"y adjective [ See lst
Mast .]
Full of mast; abounding in acorns, etc.
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