arch. Forms: α. 6 craftes, crafts maister, craftes-, craftsmaister, 6–7 craftes, crafts master, crafts-master, -maister, craftesmaster, 6–9 craftsmaster; β. 6 craftmaister. [Orig. two words craftes master in syntactical construction.]
1. One who is master of his craft; usually transf. one skilled or proficient in a (specified) practice or occupation, an adept.
† a. orig. With possessive: His (etc.) craft’s master: i.e., master of his (etc.) craft. Obs.
1513. Sir T. More, Rich. III., Wks. 52/1. Suttell folkes, and such as were their crafte maisters in the handlyng of suche wicked deuises.
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., III. ii. 297. Hee is not his Crafts-master, hee doth not doe it right.
1600. Holland, Livy, VI. xxxvi. 242. Sextius and Licinius … being their own craftsmasters knew … how to manage.
1659. B. Harris, Parival’s Iron Age, 255. He was already his Crafts-master in War.
1697. Collier, Ess. Mor. Subj., I. (1709), 32. Those who were not brought up to it, seldom prove their Crafts-master.
b. without possessive, as single word.
1553. Grimalde, Cicero’s Offices (1556), 115. Of arts none can perfitelie judge, but the craftsmaster.
1607. Topsell, Serpents (1608), 638. A Bee is … the only crafts-master of honymaking.
1675. J. Smith, Chr. Relig. Appeal, II. 4. [Satan] the Craftsmaster of our Errour.
1840. Lane, Arab. Nts., III. 584. I am a Craftsmaster; I have no equal in this city; but no one is shaved at my shop because I am a poor man.
† 2. A master of craft (in the bad sense); a person of consummate craftiness or cunning. Obs.
1571. Golding, Calvin on Ps. To Rdr. 5. The craftmaisters of the Court sought … to bury the undeserved bludshed of the giltles, in the untrue slaunder of the holy Martirs.
a. 1734. North, Exam., I. ii. § 160. And was not the Earl a Craftsmaster to set his Jackall to get a Sum of Money if he could.
