*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of mason

From Middle English masoun, machun, from Anglo-Norman machun, masson, Old French maçon, from Late Latin maciō (“carpenter, bricklayer”).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
verb

To build stonework or brickwork about, under, in, over, etc.; to construct by masons

noun

A bricklayer, one whose occupation is to build with stone or brick. · One who prepares stone for building purposes. · A member of the fraternity of Freemasons. See Freemason.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English masoun, machun, from Anglo-Norman machun, masson, Old French maçon, from Late Latin maciō (“carpenter, bricklayer”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "masoun"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English masoun"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "machun"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman machun"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "maçon"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French maçon"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-lat",
        "3": "maciō",
        "t": "carpenter, bricklayer"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin maciō (“carpenter, bricklayer”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "masoun",
      "masoun#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "machun",
      "machun#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "machun",
      "machun#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "masson",
      "masson#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "maçon",
      "maçon#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "maciō",
      "macio#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To build stonework or brickwork about, under, in, over, etc.; to construct by masons"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "304a86443cec310c28a755c617352465d05a8733915004845e3f166a9b0c5bfb",
      "rawRecordSha256": "abcd0b04f50bce5765d594bb9fd5268eddb6bff1d157a9acd997683d2b5c88c2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 49895
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A bricklayer, one whose occupation is to build with stone or brick.",
        "One who prepares stone for building purposes.",
        "A member of the fraternity of Freemasons. See Freemason."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "f9276a15b3c9852c468ac33371c1c1a10d55cb051d6f9e2e075fb09aacf994e6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a11284302bb03260f3314073e2887275f53968aa06fca714dbea839cccac5bfe",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 49894
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for mason →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bWFzb24