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maître

master, teacher

noun MEH-truh Common
People & Society Professions

Also means

owner

Usage Note

Maître is used both for a schoolteacher (especially in primary school) and as a formal honorific for lawyers and notaries in France — you address an attorney as Maître Dupont, not by first name. The feminine form maîtresse is common for a primary-school teacher but also carries the meaning of 'mistress' (lover), so context matters.

Examples

"Le maître explique la leçon."

Natural Translation

The teacher explains the lesson.

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