Etymograph

English

mason

Mason comes from Late Latin maciō ‘carpenter, bricklayer’, from Proto-West Germanic *mattjō ‘someone who cuts, stonecutter’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *met- ‘to cut’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*met-1‘to cut’uncertain
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*matjô1uncertain
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*mattjō2‘someone who cuts, stonecutter’reconstructed
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmaciō3‘carpenter, bricklayer’
  5. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400machun3
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500masoun3
  7. Englishtodaymason3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *mattjō
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin macio
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English mason

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*met-Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *mattjō‘to cut’uncertain
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*matjôWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *mattjōuncertain
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*mattjōWiktionary, Latin macio‘someone who cuts, stonecutter’reconstructed
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmaciōWiktionary, English mason‘carpenter, bricklayer’
  5. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400machunWiktionary, English mason
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500masounWiktionary, English mason
  7. EnglishtodaymasonWiktionary, English mason

Linked words

through Proto-Germanic *matjô

mate, 2 more

through Proto-West Germanic *mattjō ‘someone who cuts, stonecutter’

mace

Today it means

noun A bricklayer, one whose occupation is to build with stone or brick.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “mason”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-West Germanic *mattjō, Latin macio. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *met- / mason

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