Source : 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.

Source : WordNet®

Master of Arts
     n : a master's degree in arts and sciences [syn: {MA}, {Artium
         Magister}, {AM}]