Mason
/ˈmeɪ.sən/noun
A person who works with stone or brick, especially in building and construction.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from a Germanic root for “to make,” so a mason was originally a “maker” of stonework, and the craft later became wrapped in the symbolism of Freemasonry.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mag-
“to be able, to have power; in later Germanic development, to make or shape”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*makōn / *makjaną
“to make, construct, prepare”
Old English
OE
macian
“to make, construct”
Old French
OF
maçon
“stone worker; builder”
Middle English
English
mason
“a stone worker or builder”
Modern English
English
mason
“a person who works with stone or brick”