mister
English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Unaccented variant of master, attested since the 15th century.
Noun
mister (plural misters)
- A title conferred on an adult male, usually when the name is unknown. Also used as a term of address, often by a parent to a young child.
- You may sit here, mister.
- 1855, George Musalas Colvocoresses, Four Years in the Government Exploring Expedition, J. M. Fairchild & co., page 358:
- Fine day to see sights, gentlemen. Well, misters, here's the railing round the ground, and there's the paling round the tomb, eight feet deep, six feet long, and three feet wide.
- 1908, Jack Brand, By Wild Waves Tossed: An Ocean Love Story, The McClure Company, page 90:
- There's only three misters aboard this ship, or, rather, there's only two.
- 1996, Spice Girls (band), Wannabe (song)
- God help the mister who comes between me and my sisters.
- 2013, Asterix and the Picts, page 37
- Asterix: What? And only now you tell us?
- Obelix: I was talking to the future queen, mister Asterix!
- Asterix: And I advise you to change your tone, mister Obelix!
- Obelix: The future queen and I don't need your advice, mister Asterix! Mister Asterix gives too much advice anyway!
Usage notes
Use of the term, enunciated with extra emphasis, may express scorn.
Coordinate terms
Translations
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Verb
mister (third-person singular simple present misters, present participle mistering, simple past and past participle mistered)
- (transitive) To address by the title of "mister".
Etymology 2
From Middle English mister, myster, from Anglo-Norman mester, meister (et al.), from Latin misterium, a medieval conflation of Latin ministerium (“ministry”) with Latin mysterium (“mystery”).[1]
Noun
mister (plural misters)
- (obsolete) Someone's business or function; an occupation, employment, trade.
- (now rare, dialectal) A kind, type of.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, I.ix:
- The Redcrosse knight toward him crossed fast, / To weet, what mister wight was so dismayd […].
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, I.ix:
- (obsolete) Need (of something).
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter viij, in Le Morte Darthur, book VII:
- And thenne the grene knyghte kneled doune / and dyd hym homage with his swerd / thenne said the damoisel me repenteth grene knyghte of your dommage / and of youre broders dethe the black knyghte / for of your helpe I had grete myster / For I drede me sore to passe this forest / Nay drede you not sayd the grene knyghte / for ye shal lodge with me this nyghte / and to morne I shalle helpe you thorou this forest
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter viij, in Le Morte Darthur, book VII:
- (obsolete) Necessity; the necessary time.
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter xv, in Le Morte Darthur, book I:
- It was by Merlyns auyse said the knyghte / As for hym sayd kynge Carados / I wylle encountre with kynge bors / and ye wil rescowe me whan myster is / go on said they al / we wil do all that we may
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter xv, in Le Morte Darthur, book I:
Verb
mister (third-person singular simple present misters, present participle mistering, simple past and past participle mistered)
Noun
mister (plural misters)
- A device that makes or sprays mist.
- Odessa D. uses a mister Sunday to fight the 106-degree heat at a NASCAR race in Fontana, California.
Derived terms
References
- David Wallace, Chaucerian polity: absolutist lineages and associational forms in England and Italy, Stanford University Press, 1997
Danish
Italian
Latvian
Middle English
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman mester, from Medieval Latin misterium, a variant of ministerium influenced by mysterium. Doublet of mysterie (“duty”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /misˈtɛːr/, /ˈmistər/
Noun
mister (plural mysteres)
- A station, position, or rank in a hierarchy or structure:
- One's job or line of work; a profession.
- One's objective, aim, goal or duty; especially the inherent use of something.
- A requirement; something that one must have:
- An issue or challenge; something that must be overcome.
- A situation where people face want or hardship; penury.
- An organisation dedicated to promoting a possession.
- A custom, habit or behaviour; a deed.
- An ability; the knowledge of how to perform a job.
Derived terms
References
- “mister (n.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-17.
Norwegian Bokmål
Norwegian Nynorsk
Polish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmʲi.stɛr/
Portuguese
Etymology 1
From Old Portuguese mester, *mẽester, from Latin ministerium (“employment”).
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /misˈtɛɾ/
- (Paulista) IPA(key): /misˈtɛɹ/
- (South Brazil) IPA(key): /misˈtɛɻ/
Noun
mister m (plural misteres)
- office, work, employment, occupation, profession
- position in a profession
- need; necessity