Wiktionary

mister

See also: Mister, and míster

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Unaccented variant of master, attested since the 15th century.

Noun

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mister (plural misters)

  1. 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.
    • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Therum:
      Liara: We have to hurry. The whole place is caving in!
      Shepard: Joker! Get the Normandy airbone and lock in on my signal. On the double, mister!
    • 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
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Use of the term, enunciated with extra emphasis, may express scorn.

Coordinate terms
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Derived terms
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Descendants
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  • → Italian: mister
  • → Japanese: ミスター (misutā)
  • → Polish: mister
  • → Portuguese: míster
  • → Spanish: míster
  • → Russian: мистер (mister)
Translations
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Verb

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mister (third-person singular simple present misters, present participle mistering, simple past and past participle mistered)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To address by the title of "mister". [from 18th c.]
    • 1837-39, Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist
      “Hush! hush! Mr. Sikes,” said the Jew, trembling; “don’t speak so loud!”
      “None of your mistering,” replied the ruffian; “you always mean mischief when you come that. You know my name: out with it! I shan’t disgrace it when the time comes.”

Etymology 2

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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

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mister (plural misters)

  1. (obsolete) Someone's business or function; an occupation, employment, trade.
  2. (now rare, dialectal) A kind, type of.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
      The Redcrosse knight toward him crossed fast,
      To weet, what mister wight was so dismayd […].
    • 1772, William Browne, The Works of William Browne: Containing Britannia's Pastorals, page 83:
      What mister-chance hath brought thee to the field Without thy sheepe?
    • 1779, Samuel Johnson, “A Fairy Tale”, in The Works of the English Poets, page 27:
      For als he been a mister wight Betray'd by wandering in the night To tread the circled haunt;
  3. (obsolete) Need (of something).
    • 1603, Ane verie excellent and delectabill treatise intitulit Philotus:
      He is richt gude, Ane man of wealth and nobill blude, Bot hes mair mister of ane Hude.
    • 1692, Jacob Curate, The Scotch Presbyterian eloquence:
      England, that stands muckle in mister of a Reformation.
    • 1792, John Pinkerton, Scotish Poems:
      Now is over lait to preis my freind indeid , Quhan that I have sik mister, and sik neid: Better had bene be tyme I had overtane, To preis my freind, quhen mister had I nane.
  4. (obsolete) Necessity; the necessary time.
    • 1543, John Stuart, Extracts from the Council Register of the Burgh of Aberdeen:
      That the portis be mendytt and lokit and reformit as mister is.
    • 1722, John Lauder Fountainhall, Journals of Sir John Lauder, Lord Fountainhall, with his observations on public affairs and other memoranda 1665-1676:
      Which works the church had in its treasury to sell at mister.
    • 1754, John Livingston, A Brief Historical Relation of the Life of Mr J. Livingston, page 68:
      When his Máster shall say, Ha Sir, I know you well enough; ye did speak indeed but never in a mister; ye did sneak, as they use to say, when none speired at you, ye were stout then;
    • 1793, Charles Viner, A General Abridgment of Law and Equity:
      If 2 coparceners are seised of land, and one releases to the other in fee with warranty; this passes by way of mister le estate.

Verb

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mister (third-person singular simple present misters, present participle mistering, simple past and past participle mistered)

  1. (obsolete, impersonal) To be necessary; to matter.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.vii:
      As for my name, it mistreth not to tell;
      Call me the Squyre of Dames that me beseemeth well.
    • 1734, Robert Keith, The History of the Affairs of Chuch and State in Scotland, page 489:
      I mister not to write mair of Bissiness to zour Lordschip; bot, as I hear, how soon the Compris of thair Factoris is hard, that thai will gif thame new Commissionis again, or utheris in thair Placis.

Etymology 3

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mist ‎ -er

Noun

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mister (plural misters)

  1. 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.
    • 2017, Steve Alvest, The Life Actionbook:
      Use a mister and steamer. If you're avoiding fat, use an oil mister while cooking. Using a steamer for cooking can also cut down on the amount of oil you consume.
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References

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  1. ^ David Wallace, Chaucerian polity: absolutist lineages and associational forms in England and Italy, Stanford University Press, 1997

Anagrams

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Danish

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Verb

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mister

  1. present of miste

Italian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English mister.

Noun

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mister m (invariable)

  1. mister (appellation)
  2. (soccer) coach (trainer)

Anagrams

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Latvian

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Noun

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mister m

  1. vocative singular of misters

Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Anglo-Norman mester, from Medieval Latin misterium, a variant of ministerium influenced by mysterium. Doublet of mysterie (“duty”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /misˈtɛːr/, /ˈmistər/

Noun

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mister (plural mysteres)

  1. A station or position in an organisation:
    1. One's job; a profession.
    2. One's role, purpose, or duty.
    3. A proficiency; a learned talent.
  2. An association of tradespeople; a guild.
  3. Requirement; that which is necessary:
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “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
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 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
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
  4. A perilous or challenging situation.
  5. A situation of great want or need; penury.
  6. A custom, way, or behaviour.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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References

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Norwegian Bokmål

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Verb

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mister

  1. present tense of miste

Norwegian Nynorsk

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Verb

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mister

  1. present of mista

Polish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English mister.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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mister m pers

  1. sir
    Synonym: pan
  2. winner of a beauty pageant

Declension

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Declension of mister
singular plural
nominative mister misterzy/mistery (deprecative)
genitive mistera misterów
dative misterowi misterom
accusative mistera misterów
instrumental misterem misterami
locative misterze misterach
vocative misterze misterzy

Further reading

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  • mister in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • mister in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

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Etymology 1

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Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese mester, *mẽester, from Latin ministerium (“employment”). Doublet of ministério.

Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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  • Hyphenation: mis‧ter

Adjective

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mister (invariable)

  1. (law) of the utmost importance
  2. necessary
Descendants
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Noun

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mister m (plural misteres)

  1. office, work, employment, occupation, profession
    Synonyms: ofício, profissão, serviço, trabalho
  2. position in a profession
    Synonyms: cargo, posição
  3. need; necessity
    Synonym: necessidade

Etymology 2

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Unadapted borrowing from English mister.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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mister m (plural misters)

  1. Alternative form of míster

Romanian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French mystère.

Noun

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mister n (plural mistere)

  1. mystery

Declension

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Declension of mister
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) mister misterul (niște) mistere misterele
genitive/dative (unui) mister misterului (unor) mistere misterelor
vocative misterule misterelor

Swedish

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Verb

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mister

  1. present indicative of mista

Anagrams

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Tagalog

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English mister. Doublet of maestro.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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mister or mistér (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜒᜐ᜔ᜆᜒᜇ᜔)

  1. (capitalized) Mister
    Synonym: Ginoo
  2. (colloquial) husband
    Synonyms: esposo, bana, asawa

See also

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Further reading

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  • “mister” at KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino‎[1], Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2021
  • “mister”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
  • “mister”, in Pinoy Dictionary, 2010–2024
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