masterpiece · noun — A piece of work that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career. It carries an Arena rating of 1768, earned across 15 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, masterpiece ranks #237 of 42,834 for Qualifying, #1,044 of 17,128 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,967 of 17,136 for Most Malleable Words, #4,353 of 17,132 for Most Beautiful Words.
masterpiece is pronounced /ˈmæstɚˌpis/.
Why “masterpiece” is a great word
A work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship, historically a piece produced by a craftsman to qualify for the rank of master in a guild. From master + piece, a calque of Dutch meesterstuk or German Meisterstück ("masterpiece"), first attested in English c. 1600. Unlike a magnum opus, which specifically denotes the greatest single work of an artist's lifetime career, or a chef-d'oeuvre, which can imply a principal work of a school, a masterpiece forever carries the ghost of its guild origins—the journeyman’s flawless, sweat-stained clock presented to the silent elders; the single perfect line in a poem that makes the rest seem merely preparation; the cathedral’s rose window, where light and lead conspire to freeze a vision of heaven. It is the artifact that ends an apprenticeship, not to life, but to the eternal pursuit of an impossible standard.
❧ Written by Lexicurio’s AI
Etymology
From master + piece, a calque of Dutch meesterstuk or German Meisterstück (“masterpiece”). Piecewise doublet of maestropiece and masterstick. Compare also journeyman's piece.
noun
- A piece of work that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career.
- A work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship.e.g.“Masterpieces are not completed, they are abandoned.”
- A work created in order to qualify as a master craftsman and member of a guild.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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