Master vs. Principal — What's the Difference?

The owner or keeper of an animal

First in order of importance; main

The owner of a slave.

Denoting an original sum invested or lent

One who has control over or ownership of something

The most important or senior person in an organization or group

An employer.

A sum of money lent or invested, on which interest is paid

The man who serves as the head of a household.

A person for whom another acts as an agent or representative

One who defeats another; a victor

The person directly responsible for a crime.

One who acts out the role of the dominating partner in a sadomasochistic relationship.

A main rafter supporting purlins.

The captain of a merchant ship. Also called master mariner.

An organ stop sounding a main register of open flue pipes typically an octave above the diapason

One whose teachings or doctrines are accepted by followers.

First or highest in rank or importance.

Master(Christianity) Jesus.

Of, relating to, or being financial principal, or a principal in a financial transaction.

A male teacher, schoolmaster, or tutor.

One who holds a position of presiding rank, especially the head of an elementary school, middle school, or high school.

One who holds a master's degree.

A main participant in a situation, especially a financial transaction.

An artist or performer of great and exemplary skill.

A person having a leading or starring role in a performance, such as the first player in a section of an orchestra.

An old master.

An amount of capital originally borrowed or invested, as opposed to the interest paid or accruing on it.

A worker qualified to teach apprentices and carry on the craft independently.

The most significant part of an estate, as opposed to minor or incidental components.

An expert

The person on behalf of whom an agent acts.

Used formerly as a title for a man holding a naval office ranking next below a lieutenant on a warship.

The person having prime responsibility for an obligation as distinguished from one who acts as surety or as an endorser.

Used as a title for a man who serves as the head or presiding officer of certain societies, clubs, orders, or institutions.

The main actor in the perpetration of a crime.

Master Used as a title for any of various male officers having specified duties concerning the management of the British royal household.

(Architecture) Either of a pair of inclined timbers forming the sides of a triangular truss for a pitched roof.

Master Used as a courtesy title before the given or full name of a boy not considered old enough to be addressed as Mister.

Primary; most important; first level in importance.

(Archaic) Used as a form of address for a man; mister.

Of or relating to a prince; princely.

One who is appointed to assist a court in the performance of certain legal functions, such as the taking of testimony and calculating damages in complex litigation. Also called special master.

(mathematics) Chosen or assumed among a branch of possible values of a multi-valued function so that the function is single-valued.

Master A man who owns a pack of hounds or is the chief officer of a hunt.

The money originally invested or loaned, on which basis interest and returns are calculated.

An original, such as an original document or audio recording, from which copies can be made.

The chief administrator of a school.

Of, relating to, or characteristic of a master.

The chief executive and chief academic officer of a university or college.

Principal or predominant

(legal) A legal person that authorizes another (the agent) to act on their behalf; or on whose behalf an agent or gestor in a negotiorum gestio acts.

Controlling all other parts of a mechanism

(legal) The primary participant in a crime.

Highly skilled or proficient

(North America) A partner or owner of a business.

Being an original from which copies are made.

(music) A diapason, a type of organ stop on a pipe organ.

To become very skilled in or knowledgeable about

The construction that gives shape and strength to a roof, generally a truss of timber or iron; or, loosely, the most important member of a piece of framing.

To overcome or defeat

The first two long feathers of a hawk's wing.

To produce a master copy of (an audio or video recording, for example).

One of the turrets or pinnacles of waxwork and tapers with which the posts and centre of a funeral hearse were formerly crowned

Someone who has control over something or someone.

(obsolete) An essential point or rule; a principle.

The owner of an animal or slave.

A dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company.

(nautical) The captain of a merchant ship; a master mariner.

(computing) A security principal.

(dated) The head of a household.

Highest in rank, authority, character, importance, or degree; most considerable or important; chief; main; as, the principal officers of a Government; the principal men of a state; the principal productions of a country; the principal arguments in a case.

Someone who employs others.

Of or pertaining to a prince; princely.

An expert at something.

A leader, chief, or head; one who takes the lead; one who acts independently, or who has controlling authority or influence; as, the principal of a faction, a school, a firm, etc.; - distinguished from a subordinate, abettor, auxiliary, or assistant.

A tradesman who is qualified to teach apprentices.

The chief actor in a crime, or an abettor who is present at it, - as distinguished from an accessory.

(dated) A schoolmaster.

A thing of chief or prime importance; something fundamental or especially conspicuous.

A skilled artist.

The original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated

(dated) A man or a boy; mister. See Master.

The educator who has executive authority for a school;

A master's degree; a type of postgraduate degree, usually undertaken after a bachelor degree.

An actor who plays a principal role

A person holding such a degree.

Capital as contrasted with the income derived from it

The original of a document or of a recording.

The major party to a financial transaction at a stock exchange; buys and sells for his own account

(film) The primary wide shot of a scene, into which the closeups will be edited later.

Most important element;

(legal) A parajudicial officer (such as a referee, an auditor, an examiner, or an assessor) specially appointed to help a court with its proceedings.

A device that is controlling other devices or is an authoritative source.

(freemasonry) A person holding an office of authority, especially the presiding officer.

(by extension) A person holding a similar office in other civic societies.

(BDSM) A male dominant.

A vessel having a specified number of masts.

Masterful.

Main, principal or predominant.

Highly skilled.

Original.

(intransitive) To be a master.highly ambiguous, master in what sense?

(transitive) To become the master of; to subject to one's will, control, or authority; to conquer; to overpower; to subdue.

(transitive) To learn to a high degree of proficiency.

To own; to possess.

To make a master copy of.

To earn a Master's degree.

A vessel having (so many) masts; - used only in compounds; as, a two-master.

A male person having another living being so far subject to his will, that he can, in the main, control his or its actions; - formerly used with much more extensive application than now.

One who uses, or controls at will, anything inanimate; as, to be master of one's time.

One who has attained great skill in the use or application of anything; as, a master of oratorical art.

A title given by courtesy, now commonly pronounced mĭster, except when given to boys; - sometimes written Mister, but usually abbreviated to Mr.

A young gentleman; a lad, or small boy.

The commander of a merchant vessel; - usually called captain. Also, a commissioned officer in the navy ranking next above ensign and below lieutenant; formerly, an officer on a man-of-war who had immediate charge, under the commander, of sailing the vessel.

A person holding an office of authority among the Freemasons, esp. the presiding officer; also, a person holding a similar office in other civic societies.

To become the master of; to subject to one's will, control, or authority; to conquer; to overpower; to subdue.

To gain the command of, so as to understand or apply; to become an adept in; as, to master a science.

To own; to posses.

To be skillful; to excel.

An artist of consummate skill;

A person who has general authority over others

A combatant who is able to defeat rivals

Directs the work of other

Presiding officer of a school

An original creation (i.e., an audio recording) from which copies can be made

An officer who is licensed to command a merchant ship

Someone who holds a master's degree from academic institution

An authority qualified to teach apprentices

Key that secures entrance everywhere

Be or become completely proficient or skilled in;

Get on top of; deal with successfully;

Have dominance or the power to defeat over;

Have a firm understanding or knowledge of; be on top of;