Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Mastersinger \Mas"ter*sing`er\, n. [A translation of G.
   meisters["a]nger.]
   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.