postmaster

P3O1S1T1M3A1S1T1E1R1
US/ˈpoʊstˌmæstɚ/

noun

The head of a post office.

OriginEnglish master ← Middle English maister ← Old English mǣġester →
Less commonScrabble 14
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Meanings

nounpostmaster (plural postmasters)

plural postmasters

  1. The head of a post office.

    With that, Elvin Mercado became the postmaster of Manhattan, ruling the mails from the palatial James A. Farley Post Office on Eighth Avenue.

    2014 May 14, Andy Newman, “New York Today: Meet Your Postmaster”, in The New York Times
  2. InternetThe administrator of an electronic mail system.
  3. UKA kind of scholar at Merton College, Oxford; portionist.
  4. archaicOne who has charge of a station for the accommodation of travellers; one who supplies post horses.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
portionist

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ep
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂epó
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂pó
  4. Proto-Italic*po
  5. Proto-Indo-European*teḱ-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*tḱéytibf.
  7. Proto-Indo-European*tḱey-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*tḱinéti
  9. Proto-Italic*sinō
  10. Proto-Italic*pozinō
  11. Latinpōnō
  12. Latinposita
  13. Italianposta
  14. Middle Frenchposte
  15. Englishpost
  16. Proto-Indo-European*meǵh₂-
  17. Proto-Indo-European*meh₂-
  18. Proto-Italic*magisteros
  19. Latinmagister, magistrum
  20. Old Frenchmaistre
  21. Latinmagister
  22. Old Englishmǣġester
  23. Middle Englishmaister
  24. Englishmaster
  25. Englishpostmaster

From post + master.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian началник поща
  • началник поща (načalnik pošta)head of a post office
Finnish postitoimiston johtaja, postitoimiston päällikkö
  • postitoimiston johtajahead of a post office
  • postitoimiston päällikköhead of a post office
  • postipäällikköhead of a post office
  • postimestarihead of a post office
Romanian diriginte de poștă
  • diriginte de poștăhead of a post office
Russian нача́льник почто́вого учрежде́ния, почтме́йстер
  • нача́льник почто́вого учрежде́ния (načálʹnik počtóvovo učreždénija)head of a post office
  • почтме́йстер (počtméjster)head of a post office

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

masterpost
Cite this entry
APA

postmaster. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/postmaster

MLA

“postmaster.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/postmaster. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “postmaster,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/postmaster.

Source: postmaster on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.