marse

noun

archaic; see usage paragraph below
: master
Usage of Marse and Massa

Historically, the words marse and massa were used in writing to represent spoken alterations of the word master that were associated especially with the speech of enslaved African Americans. In modern contexts, the word massa is considered offensive, especially when used by a person who is not Black to imitate stereotypes of African American English or to make reference to slavery. The use of marse is usually limited to historical contexts and may be considered offensive in modern ones.

Examples of marse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Anyting-goes marse. M Nourbese Philip, Harper's BAZAAR, 16 Feb. 2021

Word History

Etymology

by shortening & alteration

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of marse was in 1841

Dictionary Entries Near marse

Cite this Entry

“Marse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marse. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!