Master (form of address)

Master (sometimes abbreviated Mstr or less often Mr) is an English honorific for un-married men.

Usage

United Kingdom

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 to 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. Master is used sometimes to describe the male head of a large estate or household who employs many domestic workers.

After its replacement in common speech by Mister, Master was retained as a form of address for boys or young men. By the late 19th century, etiquette dictated that men be addressed as Mister, and boys who have not entered society to be addressed as Master. The title Master is much less frequently used today, though it is sometimes still used as the written form of address for boys in formal correspondence, particularly invitations to formal events.

The heir to a Scottish lordship, barony or viscountcy is given the style or dignity Master of followed by his father's title. For instance, the heir of Lord Elphinstone is known as the Master of Elphinstone.

North America

As in the UK, the use of Master as a form of address is rare, and is now used only for young boys in highly formal situations, such as for formal invitations. The age at which the transition from master to mister takes place for this purpose is not strictly observed, though approximately the beginning of high school for those who still observe the distinction.