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# The BFD Word of the Day
- URL: https://goodoil.news/the-bfd-word-of-the-day-193/
- Published: 2020-08-06T18:15:00.000Z
- Updated: 2020-08-02T11:33:19.000Z
- Author: Peter Andersen
- Tags: General, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-17 03:00

The word for today is…

masterful (adj) – 1\. Acting or capable of acting as a master or leader, especially in being domineering or imperious.  
2\. Having or showing mastery or skill.

Source : [The Free Dictionary](https://www.thefreedictionary.com/masterful?ref=goodoil.news)

Etymology : Some commentators insist that masterful must only mean “domineering,” reserving the “expert, skillful” sense for masterly. The distinction is a modern one. In earlier times, the terms were used interchangeably, with each having both the “domineering” and “expert” senses. The “domineering” sense of masterly fell into disuse around the 18th century, however, and in the 20th century the famous grammarian H. W. Fowler decided that masterful should be similarly limited to a single meaning. He summarily ruled that the “expert” definition of masterful was incorrect. Other usage writers followed his lead. But the “expert” meaning of masterful has continued to flourish in standard prose in spite of the disapproval, and, considering the sense’s long history, it cannot really be called an error.

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