mastery

Etymology

From Middle English maistery, maistrie, mastere, mastry, from Old French maistrie.

noun

1. The position or authority of a master; dominion; command; supremacy; superiority.
   If divided by mountains, they will fight for the mastery of the passages of the tops. c. 1610, Sir Walter Raleigh, The Misery of Invasive War
   The desert storm was riding in its strength; the travellers lay beneath the mastery of the fell simoom. Whirling wreaths and columns of burning wind, rushed around and over them. 1892, James Yoxall, chapter 5, in The Lonely Pyramid
2. Superiority in war or competition; victory; triumph; preeminence.
3. The act or process of mastering; the state of having mastered; expertise.
   At Tebay however, he began to get the mastery over these untoward conditions, and actually got back a little time up to Shap, after which all was plain sailing. 1941 November, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 484
4. (obsolete) A contest for superiority.
   […] pastimes of wrestling, and like maſteries betweene the Citizens of London and others of the Suburbes […] 1623, John Speed, The Historie of Great Britain Under the Conquests of the Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans, page 596
   Rury has given the word for some rare sport — a bout of games and masteries between me and Marcos Serkman to prove which is the better man. 1936, John Clayton, The Anger of the North, page 69
   Come, Paolo, we two have never held / A mastery between us — tell me out! 1929, Delphian Society, “Delphian Text”, in Paolo and Francesca, volume 7, page 441
5. (obsolete) A masterly operation; a feat.
   Ye welsh men..brake out vpon the Englysshe men in ye Bordour..and there made masteryes for a whyle. 1516, Robert Fabyan, New cronycles of Englande and of Fraunce
   That ye maye knowe..what masteryes they haue played. 1546, John Bale, The actes of Englysh votaryes
   By a number of odde speeches..you doo yet suppose to haue wrought a mastery. 1592, Angell Day, The English secretorie
   Why, thou cowardly knave, no stronger than a duck, Darest thou try masteries with me a-pluck. 1905, John Stephen Farmer, “Thersites”, in Six Anonymous Plays, page 212
   To accomplish this is a great mastery, a rare mastery: but it is an accomplishment that seems to have been Rowlandson's easily whenever he would. 1909, Selwyn Image, “The Serious Art of Thomas Rowlandson”, in The Burlington Magazine, volume 14, page 12
   And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully. 1910, John Merrill Davis, Striving for Masteries and Other Baccalaureate Sermons, page 5
6. (obsolete) The philosopher's stone.