magistery

Meanings

1. A pure quality with the power to cure or to turn one substance into another; also, a substance such as a philosopher's stone able to turn one substance into another.
2. The product of such a transformation.
3. A fine substance deposited by precipitation, formerly applied to certain white precipitates from metallic solutions.
4. A concentrated extract of a substance.
5. An art or a skill.
6. Synonym of magistracy (“the dignity or office of a magistrate; the collective body of magistrates”).
7. A medicine prepared for a specific use.
8. The quality possessed by a master; authority, mastership, mastery; also, the exercise of authority.
9. Synonym of magisterium (“the teaching authority or office of the Roman Catholic Church”).

Etymology

PIE word *méǵh₂s From Middle English magisteri, magistery (“academic degree of Master”), from Latin magisterium (“office of a chief, director, president, or superintendent; teaching office or authority of the Roman Catholic Church; authoritative statement”) (compare Late Latin magisterium (“philosopher’s stone”)), from magister (“master (title for a person in authority or one having a licence from a university to teach liberal arts and philosophy); teacher”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s (“big, great”) + *-teros (contrastive or oppositional suffix forming adjectives)) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns, sometimes denoting groups and offices). By surface analysis, magister + -y. Doublet of magisterium. Cognate with French magistère, Old French magisteire.