Master (form of address)

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Master is an English honorific for boys and young men. It is usually abbreviated to MSTR or Mstr.

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Etymology

Master was used in England for men of some rank, especially "free masters" of a trade guild and by any manual worker or servant employee addressing his employer (his master), but also generally by those lower in status to gentlemen, 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 . The proper title of William Shakespeare's First Folio is pronounced Master William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. [1]

After its replacement in common speech by Mister, Master was retained as a form of address only for boys who had not yet entered society. By the late 19th century, etiquette dictated that men be addressed as Mister, and boys as Master.

Current usage in the United Kingdom

The use of Master as a prefixed title is, according to Leslie Dunkling, "a way of addressing politely a boy ... too young to be called 'Mister'." [2] It can be used as a title and form of address for any boy. [3]

Master was used sometimes, especially up to the late 19th century, to describe the male head of a large estate or household who employed domestic workers.[ citation needed ]

The heir to a Scottish peerage may use the style or dignity [4] "Master of" followed by the name associated with the peerage. For instance, the heir of Lord Elphinstone is known as the Master of Elphinstone.

Current usage in the United States

Nancy Tuckerman, in the Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette, writes that in the United States, unlike the UK, a boy can be addressed as Master only until age 12, then is addressed only by his name with no title until he turns 18, when he takes the title of Mr., [5] :662 although it is not improper to use Mr. if he is slightly younger.

Other extant usage

In the 21st century, Master as an honorific or more often master as a professional term still has some use in reference to advanced workers (not always male) in the trades, and sometimes also to academics and educators. However, it is more frequently used as an adjective for this purpose (e.g. "master bricklayer"), or with an adjective ("school master", "headmaster").

Master is also frequently used (along with feminine Mistress or Domina) in the BDSM community [6] as a self-identifier by dominants, and by submissives in addressing them, especially in master/slave-roleplay relationships.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Etiquette</span> Customary code of polite behaviour

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Ms. or Ms is an English-language honorific used with the last name or full name of a woman, intended as a default form of address for women regardless of marital status. Like Miss and Mrs., the term Ms. has its origins in the female English title once used for all women, Mistress. It originated in the 17th century and was revived into mainstream usage in the 20th century.

A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer, as well as certain officials such as some judges and members of the Scottish gentry. These styles are used "by courtesy" in the sense that persons referred to by these titles do not in law hold the substantive title. There are several different kinds of courtesy titles in the British peerage system.

A style of office or form of address, also called manner of address, is an official or legally recognized form of address for a person or other entity, and may often be used in conjunction with a personal title. A style, by tradition or law, precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or political office, and is sometimes used to refer to the office itself. An honorific can also be awarded to an individual in a personal capacity. Such styles are particularly associated with monarchies, where they may be used by a wife of an office holder or of a prince of the blood, for the duration of their marriage. They are also almost universally used for presidents in republics and in many countries for members of legislative bodies, higher-ranking judges, and senior constitutional office holders. Leading religious figures also have styles.

Master or masters may refer to:

The term Don abbreviated as D., is an honorific prefix primarily used in Spain and Hispanic America, and with different connotations also in Italy, Portugal and its former colonies, and formerly in the Philippines.

Mrs. or Mrs is a commonly used English honorific for women, usually for those who are married and who do not instead use another title, such as Doctor, ProfessorPresident, Dame, etc. In most Commonwealth countries, a full stop (period) is usually not used with the title. In the United States and Canada a period is usually used.

A Persian name, or an Iranian name, consists of a given name, sometimes more than one, and a surname.

An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It is also often conflated with systems of honorific speech in linguistics, which are grammatical or morphological ways of encoding the relative social status of speakers. Honorifics can be used as prefixes or suffixes depending on the appropriate occasion and presentation in accordance with style and customs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">English honorifics</span> Courtesy form of address

In the English language, an honorific is a form of address conveying esteem, courtesy or respect. These can be titles prefixing a person's name, e.g.: Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms, Mx, Sir, Dame, Dr, Cllr, Lady, or Lord, or other titles or positions that can appear as a form of address without the person's name, as in Mr President, General, Captain, Father, Doctor, or Earl.

Sidi or Sayidi, also Sayyidi and Sayeedi, is an Arabic masculine title of respect. Sidi is used often to mean "saint" or "my master" in Maghrebi Arabic and Egyptian Arabic. Without the first person possessive object pronoun (ي-), the word is used similarly in other dialects, in which case it would be the equivalent to modern popular usage of the English Mr. It is also used in dialects such as Eastern Arabic, as well as by Muslims of the Indian subcontinent in the Urdu language where, however, it does not have as much currency as Sayyid , Janab or Sahib.

Sahib or Saheb is an Arabic title meaning 'companion'. It was historically used for the first caliph Abu Bakr in the Quran.

The Japanese language makes use of a system of honorific speech, called keishō (敬称), which includes honorific suffixes and prefixes when referring to others in a conversation. Suffixes are often gender-specific at the end of names, while prefixes are attached to the beginning of many nouns. Honorific suffixes also indicate the speaker's level and refer an individual's relationship and are often used alongside other components of Japanese honorific speech.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agha (title)</span> Ottoman honorific title for civilian or military officers

Agha is an honorific title for a civilian or officer, or often part of such title. In the Ottoman times, some court functionaries and leaders of organizations like bazaar or the janissary units were entitled to the agha title. In rural communities, this term is used for people who own considerable lands and are influential in their community. Regardless of a rural community, this title is also used for any male that is influential or respected.

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In Chinese-speaking societies around the world, an honorific title is attached after the family name of an individual when addressing that person. Aside from addressing colleagues or family of equal or lesser rank, it is considered impolite to refer to others by their name only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Much Honoured</span> Honorific bestowed on feudal barons and earls of Scotland

The Much Honoured is an honorific style applied to the holders of certain Scottish feudal baronies and Clan chiefs.

Mister, usually written in its contracted form Mr. or Mr, is a commonly used English honorific for men without a higher honorific, or professional title, or any of various designations of office. The title Mr derived from earlier forms of master, as the equivalent female titles Mrs, Miss, and Ms all derived from earlier forms of mistress. Master is sometimes still used as an honorific for boys and young men.

Honorifics are words that connote esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. In the German language, honorifics distinguish people by age, sex, profession, academic achievement, and rank. In the past, a distinction was also made between married and unmarried women.

An Afghan personal name consists of a given name and sometimes a surname at the end. Personal names are generally not divided into first and family names; a single name is recognized as a full personal name, and the addition of further components – such as additional given names, regional, or ethnic family/clan names or patronymics – is often a matter of parents' choice. This structure is shared amongst the different ethnicities of Afghanistan and people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

References

  1. "The Making of Shakespeare's First Folio, Revised Edition". bodleianshop.co.uk. April 2023.
  2. Dunkling, Leslie (2012). Dictionary of Epithets and Terms of Address.
  3. Bonner, Mehera (24 June 2021). "Here's Why Meghan and Harry's Son, Archie Harrison, Isn't a Prince, Despite the Couple's Wishes". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  4. Heywood, Valentine (1953). British Titles (2nd ed.). pp. 103–108.
  5. Dunnan, Nancy; Tuckerman, Nancy (1995). The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette (50th Anniversary ed.).
  6. Guy Baldwin (2002). SlaveCraft: Roadmaps for Erotic Servitude – Principles, Skills and Tools. Daedelus Publishing Co. pp. 57–62. ISBN   1-881943-14-3.