Masterpiece

How to spell masterpiece

11 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce masterpiece

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does masterpiece mean?

1. nounA work of outstanding skill or artistry, regarded as the finest of its kind.

Masterpiece in a sentence

• The gallery hung the painter's masterpiece in the central room.

• Critics agreed the novel was her masterpiece, far beyond her earlier work.

Where does masterpiece come from?

Language of origin: Dutch

This compound was modelled on the Dutch word meesterstuk and the German Meisterstuck, which literally meant 'master work', the test piece a craftsman produced to prove his skill and qualify as a master of his guild. The first element, master, descends from the Latin magister, meaning 'chief' or 'teacher', a person set over others. The second element, piece, came into English through Old French piece, meaning a part or a distinct object, itself probably of Celtic origin. English brought the compound together in the early 1600s, at first carrying that strict guild sense of a qualifying work, before broadening to mean any supreme achievement in art, writing, or craft. The spelling trap lives entirely in the second half: piece keeps the 'i before e' order, the same one found in 'piece of pie', and never the 'peace' of calm.

How the word is built

• master (skilled craftsman, from Latin magister: chief, teacher)
• piece (a work or item, from Old French piece)