Definition of "maister"

Rince Pytcher is he that will drinke out his thrift at the ale or wine, and be oft times dronke. This is a licoryce knaue that will swill his Maisters drink, and brybe his meate that is kept for him.

1561, John Awdely, “The Orders of Knaues”, in The Fraternitye of Vacabondes; republished in Edward Viles, Frederick James Furnivall, editors, Awdeley’s Fraternitye of Vacabondes, Harman’s Caveat, Haben’s Sermon, &c., London: Early English Text Society, 1869, page 13

Diuilliſh it is to deſtroy a cittie, but more then diuilliſhe, to euert citties, to betraye countreies, to cause ſeruaunts to kyll their maiſters, parentes theyr children, children their parentes, wiues their huſbandes, and to turne all things topſy turuy, and yet it doth ſo, as ſhalbe declared.

1576, T[homas] R[ogers], “Of Loue”, in A Philosophicall Discourse, Entituled, The Anatomie of the Minde. […], London: […] I[ohn] C[harlewood] for Andrew Maunsell, […], folio 22, recto

Ewes yeerly by twinning rich maisters doo make, the lamb of such twinners for breeders go take.

1580, Thomas Tusser, “Januaries husbandrie”, in Fiue Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie: […], London: […] Henrie Denham [beeing the assigne of William Seres] […]; republished as W[illiam] Payne and Sidney J[ohn Hervon] Herrtage, editors, Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. […], London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Trübner & Co., […], 1878, stanza 28, page 81

Hee sayde, they were the Maisters of warre, and ornaments of peace: speedy goers, and strong abiders: triumphers both in Camps and Courts.

c. 1583, Philip Sidney, Evelyn Shirley Shuckburgh, An Apologie for Poetrie, published 1891, page 1

[…] and fare at all tymes as harde as poor Mopos Cut did with his maiſters countreyman in Shorditch, till, by the force of his hinder heeles, he vtterly vndid two milch maydens, that had ſet vp a ſhoppe of Ale-drapery.

1592, H. Chettle, Kind-hartes Dreame, page 20

Pilot […] / Vpon his card and compas firmes his eye, / The maiſters of his long experiment, / And to them does the ſteddy helme apply […].

1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], part I (books I–III), London: […] [Richard Field] for William Ponsonbie, page 271

It’s a mad world my Maisters. And a merry world my Mistrisses.

1617, John Davies, Wits Bedlam, London: […] G. Eld, […]

D'ye think I am to be John Tamson's man, and maistered by women a' the days o' my life ?

1851, Sir Walter Scott, The Tale of Old Mortality

Thus Reason said: but she came, Reason vanished; Her eyes so maistering me, that such objection Seem'd but to spoile the foode of thoughts long famishēd;

1873, Philip Sidney, Alexander Balloch Grosart, The Complete Poems of Sir Philip Sidney, page 9

And now hath wrong so maistered the right, That they liue best, that on wrongs offall light,

1949, Joseph Hall, Arnold Davenport, Collected poems, page 25

Guyon's good behavior, in contrast, seems always precarious— in Acrasia's garden, he suffered no delight To sink into his sense, nor mind affect, But passed forth, and looked still forward right, Bridling his will, and maistering his might.

1992, Alan Sinfield, Faultlines: Cultural Materialism and the Politics of Dissident Reading