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The dictionary says that a definition of master when used as an adjective is "main; principal." 'the apartment's master bathroom has a free-standing oval batht

The dictionary says that a definition of master when used as an adjective is "main; principal." 'the apartment's master bathroom has a free-standing oval bathtub'" This has nothing to do with slavery.

sabertoothed 6y ago
A dictionary first and foremost tells you the use/meaning today. You need to look into the etymology to understand if it has something to do with slavery.
- edjrage 6y ago
  What's the point, though? I doubt you have a deep knowledge of the etymology of every single word you use, even for the ones you use all the time. I bet you would feel forced to use a very different and extremely narrow set of words if you did. You might even have chosen another username if you were "sensitive" to how "saber" alludes to an instrument of historical oppression and suffering. And yet not many people do or seem to care. Why? You might say it's because our culture is still not enlightened, but it really is just because it doesn't matter what the usage used to be as long as it's used with a different, more-or-less harmless meaning today. Not only that, but what about words that have had countless interpretations since forever (black/white)? Why pick the one that happens to be racist? And I may be making a wild conjecture here, but it's not like talking about a "master branch" will make you more likely to become pro-slavery. I mean, what would "master branch" even mean out of the context of version control? Words are just labels to meaning. It makes no sense to care about the label. People have declared love with N-words and advocated for genocide with flowery language. Banishing words is a prime example of bikeshedding.
  - stOneskull 6y ago
    > I mean, what would "master branch" even mean out of the context of version control? stop being mean. you shouldn't impose your control. whip me for telling you not to. and scold them for whipping me. decentralize the git commit hierarchy! no order!
- wayneftw 6y ago
  So I guess describing people as a flower or snowflake in a derogatory manner means that we will have to remove these words soon?
iso1210 6y ago
The bedroom where the Master slept Master of course not being specific to slavery - it was in wide use before. Mastering a subject means to be better than those who aren't masters. The term comes from Latin magister, which means things like 'head' or 'teacher'. It evolved to maestro in Italian, and predated the atlantic slave trade by over a millenia.

sabertoothed 6y ago

A dictionary first and foremost tells you the use/meaning today. You need to look into the etymology to understand if it has something to do with slavery.

edjrage 6y ago
What's the point, though? I doubt you have a deep knowledge of the etymology of every single word you use, even for the ones you use all the time. I bet you would feel forced to use a very different and extremely narrow set of words if you did. You might even have chosen another username if you were "sensitive" to how "saber" alludes to an instrument of historical oppression and suffering. And yet not many people do or seem to care. Why? You might say it's because our culture is still not enlightened, but it really is just because it doesn't matter what the usage used to be as long as it's used with a different, more-or-less harmless meaning today. Not only that, but what about words that have had countless interpretations since forever (black/white)? Why pick the one that happens to be racist? And I may be making a wild conjecture here, but it's not like talking about a "master branch" will make you more likely to become pro-slavery. I mean, what would "master branch" even mean out of the context of version control? Words are just labels to meaning. It makes no sense to care about the label. People have declared love with N-words and advocated for genocide with flowery language. Banishing words is a prime example of bikeshedding.
- stOneskull 6y ago
  > I mean, what would "master branch" even mean out of the context of version control? stop being mean. you shouldn't impose your control. whip me for telling you not to. and scold them for whipping me. decentralize the git commit hierarchy! no order!
wayneftw 6y ago
So I guess describing people as a flower or snowflake in a derogatory manner means that we will have to remove these words soon?

iso1210 6y ago

The bedroom where the Master slept Master of course not being specific to slavery - it was in wide use before. Mastering a subject means to be better than those who aren't masters. The term comes from Latin magister, which means things like 'head' or 'teacher'. It evolved to maestro in Italian, and predated the atlantic slave trade by over a millenia.