Maestri

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A plural form referring to masterful individuals in various arts or professions, often regarded as highly skilled or influential teachers
2. Describing several accomplished experts or leaders within a specific field, particularly in music or fine arts, who guide others
3. Representing multiple distinguished persons recognized for their superiority and expertise in a particular craft or discipline

Etymology: "Maestri" is simply the Italian plural of "maestro," so the word's story is the story of that singular form. Italian "maestro" descends from Latin "magistrum," the accusative of "magister," meaning "master" or "teacher," the same Latin root that gave English "magister," "master," and the German "meister." Those words are doublets: one Latin source that entered different languages and kept slightly different shapes and meanings. The Italian form kept the sense of a teacher who holds authority over a subject. Over time it came to be used for a supremely skilled practitioner, especially in music and the visual arts, which is why a composer or painter could be called a "maestro." The plural "maestri" therefore refers to a group of such recognised masters, often used in English for a circle of leading figures in a field.

Synonyms: masters, experts