quartermaster

quar·ter·mas·ter
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US/ˈk(w)ɔɹtɚˌmæstɚ/UK/ˈkwɔːtɚˌmɑːstə/

noun

An officer whose duty is to provide quarters, provisions, storage, clothing, fuel, stationery, and transportation for a regiment or other body of troops, and superintend the supplies. Master of quartering.

OriginMiddle English quartermayster ← Dutch kwartiermeester →
Less commonScrabble 24
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Meanings

nounquartermaster (plural quartermasters)

plural quartermasters · alternative quarter-master · alternative quarter master

  1. governmentAn officer whose duty is to provide quarters, provisions, storage, clothing, fuel, stationery, and transportation for a regiment or other body of troops, and superintend the supplies. Master of quartering.
  2. nauticalA petty officer who attends to the helm, binnacle, signals, and the like, under the direction of the master. Once master of the quarterdeck.
  3. scoutingA leadership position within a troop whose responsibility it is to track and maintain the troop's equipment, for example stoves, Dutch ovens, utensils, and tents.
verbquartermaster (third-person singular simple present quartermasters, present participle quartermastering, simple past and past participle quartermastered)

present singular third person quartermasters · participle present quartermastering · participle past quartermastered · past quartermastered · alternative quarter-master · alternative quarter master

  1. ambitransitiveTo act as a quartermaster.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
furrierquarteer

Origin

  1. Dutchkwartiermeester
  2. Middle Englishquartermayster
  3. Englishquartermaster

From Middle English quartermayster, quartermaistre, equivalent to quarter + master. Perhaps reinforced by and merged with Dutch kwartiermeester, kwartier-meester. Compare German Quartiermeister, French quartier-maître.

More words from Middle English, Dutch

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan intendent
  • intendentofficer responsible for supplies
Czech proviantní důstojník
  • proviantní důstojníkofficer responsible for supplies
Danish kvartermester
  • kvartermesterofficer responsible for supplies
Finnish majoitusmestari
  • majoitusmestariofficer responsible for supplies
French quartier-maître
  • quartier-maîtreofficer responsible for supplies
German Quartiermeister, Steuermannsmaat
  • Quartiermeisterofficer responsible for supplies
  • Steuermannsmaatofficer responsible for supplies
Hebrew אפסנאי, מַלָּח בָּכִיר
  • אפסנאי (afsenai)officer responsible for supplies
  • מַלָּח בָּכִיר (malakh bakhir)officer responsible for supplies
  • הַגַּאי (hagay)officer responsible for supplies
Irish ceathrúmháistir
  • ceathrúmháistirofficer responsible for supplies
Italian quartiermastro
  • quartiermastroofficer responsible for supplies
Korean 병참장교
  • 병참장교 (byeongchamjanggyo)officer responsible for supplies
Polish kwatermistrz
  • kwatermistrzofficer responsible for supplies
Portuguese quartel-mestre, furriel
  • quartel-mestreofficer responsible for supplies
  • furrielofficer responsible for supplies
Russian квартирме́йстер, интенда́нт
  • квартирме́йстер (kvartirméjster)officer responsible for supplies
  • интенда́нт (intendánt)officer responsible for supplies
  • старшина́-рулево́й (staršiná-rulevój)officer responsible for supplies
Swedish kvartermästare
  • kvartermästareofficer responsible for supplies
Cite this entry
APA

quartermaster. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quartermaster

MLA

“quartermaster.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quartermaster. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “quartermaster,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quartermaster.

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