1. a dialectal form of ‘master’ used historically in the American South
Usage: dialectal; historical

Examples

• The old stories told of how the workers would address the plantation owner as ‘Marse John.’
• In historical documents, you might see ‘marse’ used as a term of address.
• The dialect preserved the word ‘marse’ in place of the standard ‘master.’
• Literature from the antebellum period sometimes includes characters saying ‘Yes, marse.’
• The term ‘marse’ appears in some folk songs and historical narratives.