Adjacent Words

Mastery definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

M`ASTERY, n. Dominion; power of governing or commanding.
If divided by mountains, they will fight for the mastery of the passages of the tops--
1. Superiority in competition; preeminence.
Every man that striveth for the mystery, is temperate in all things. 1 Corinthians 9.
2. Victory in war.
It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery. Exodus 32.
3. Eminent skill; superior dexterity.
He could attain to a mastery in all languages.
4. Attainment of eminent skill or power.
The learning and mastery of a tongue being unpleasant in itself, should not be cumbered with other difficulties.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: great skillfulness and knowledge of some subject or activity; "a good command of French" [syn: command, control, mastery]
2: power to dominate or defeat; "mastery of the seas" [syn: domination, mastery, supremacy]
3: the act of mastering or subordinating someone [syn: mastery, subordination]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English maistrie, from Anglo-French mestrie, maistrie, from meistre master Date: 13th century 1. a. the authority of a master ; dominion b. the upper hand in a contest or competition ; superiority, ascendancy 2. a. possession or display of great skill or technique b. skill or knowledge that makes one master of a subject ; command

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 dominion, sway. 2 masterly skill. 3 (often foll. by of) comprehensive knowledge or use of a subject or instrument. 4 (prec. by the) the upper hand. Etymology: ME f. OF maistrie (as MASTER)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mastery Mas"ter*y, n.; pl. Masteries. [OF. 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; pre["e]minence. 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. [Obs.] --Holland. 4. A masterly operation; a feat. [Obs.] I will do a maistrie ere I go. --Chaucer. 5. Specifically, the philosopher's stone. [Obs.] 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.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

If you show mastery of a particular skill or language, you show that you have learned or understood it completely and have no difficulty using it. He doesn't have mastery of the basic rules of grammar... N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mas'-ter-i, gebhurah, shelet, Aramaic; agonizomai, athleo): "Mastery" occurs twice in the Old Testament and twice in the King James Version of the New Testament: in Ex 32:18 (gebhurah, "might"), "the voice of them that shout for mastery"; in Da 6:24 ([~shelet, "to have power"), "The lions had the mastery of them"; in 1Co 9:25, agonizomai, "to contend for a prize," to be a combatant in the public games, is translated "striveth for the mastery," the Revised Version (British and American) "striventh in the games"; and in 2Ti 2:5, athelo, with the same meaning, is translated "strive for masteries," the Revised Version (British and American) "contend in the games." From the Greek we have the words "athlete," etc..

W. L. Walker

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Dominion, rule, sway, command, mastership, supreme power, supremacy. 2. Superiority, pre-eminence, ascendency, supremacy, victory, conquest, leadership, headship, upper hand. 3. Victory in war. 4. Acquirement, attainment, acquisition. 5. Skill, dexterity, great proficiency, cleverness, ability.

Moby Thesaurus

Cadmean victory, KO, Pyrrhic victory, Waterloo, ability, acme, address, adeptness, adroitness, aedileship, airmanship, apprehension, archbishopric, archiepiscopacy, archiepiscopate, aristocracy, artfulness, artisanship, artistry, ascendancy, authority, authorization, be-all and end-all, beating, bishopric, blue ribbon, bravura, brilliance, capability, capacity, chairmanship, championship, chancellery, chancellorate, chancellorship, charisma, charm, chiefery, chiefry, chieftaincy, chieftainry, chieftainship, clairvoyance, claws, cleverness, clout, clutches, collapse, command, competence, competency, comprehension, conception, conceptualization, condition, conquering, conquest, consequence, consulate, consulship, control, coordination, craft, craftsmanship, crash, credit, cunning, deanery, deathblow, debacle, defeat, deftness, destruction, dexterity, dexterousness, dextrousness, dictatorship, dictature, diplomacy, directorship, dominance, domination, dominion, downfall, drubbing, easy victory, effect, effectiveness, efficiency, eminence, emirate, enchantment, episcopacy, esteem, expertise, expertism, expertness, facility, failure, fall, favor, finesse, first place, first prize, fitness, fittedness, force, foreknowledge, good feeling, governorship, grace, grand slam, grasp, grip, gripe, hand, handiness, hands, headship, hegemony, height, helm, hiding, hierarchy, highest, hold, horsemanship, ideation, imperium, importance, incidental power, influence, influentiality, ingeniousness, ingenuity, insinuation, intellection, intelligence, iron hand, jurisdiction, kingship, knack, knockout, know-how, lambasting, landslide, landslide victory, lathering, leadership, leverage, licking, lordship, magistracy, magistrateship, magistrature, magnetism, management, marksmanship, masterdom, mastership, maturity, maximum, mayoralty, mayorship, mental grasp, metropolitanate, metropolitanship, might, moment, moral victory, most, ne plus ultra, new high, nobility, overcoming, overthrow, overturn, palms, papacy, paramountcy, pashadom, pashalic, patriarchate, patriarchy, personality, persuasion, picnic, pontificality, pontificate, popedom, popehood, popeship, potency, power, practical ability, precognition, predominance, prefectship, prefecture, prehension, premiership, preparedness, preponderance, presidency, presidentship, pressure, prestige, primacy, prime-ministership, prime-ministry, princedom, princeship, principality, proconsulate, proconsulship, proficiency, protectorate, protectorship, provostry, provostship, prowess, purchase, pushover, qualification, quickness, quietus, readiness, record, rectorate, rectorship, regency, regentship, reign, reins of government, repute, resource, resourcefulness, ripeness, ruin, rule, ruling class, runaway victory, savoir-faire, savvy, say, seamanship, seasoning, seigniory, seneschalship, seneschalsy, sheikhdom, sheriffalty, sheriffcy, sheriffdom, shrievalty, skill, skillfulness, smash, sovereignty, strings, style, suasion, subdual, subduing, subjugation, subtle influence, success, suggestion, suitability, suitableness, suitedness, supervisorship, supremacy, suzerainship, suzerainty, swag, sway, tact, tactfulness, talons, technical brilliance, technical mastery, technical skill, technique, tempering, thrashing, timing, top spot, total victory, tribunate, trim, trimming, triumph, trouncing, understanding, undoing, upper hand, vanquishment, victory, virtuosity, vizierate, viziership, walkaway, walkover, weight, whip hand, whipping, win, winning, winning streak, wisdom, wit, wizardry, workmanship, zenith