Though the real estate industry used the phrase “master bedroom” (and its sidekick, “master bathroom”) to denote the home's main sleeping space for decades, it conjures images of slavery to people of color. “It is just not appropriate to use that term anymore,” de Jong says.
The term “primary bedroom” identifies the bedroom as the largest in the home, but it lacks the negative connotations that “master bedroom” carries. It also implies no expectations of who in the house might be most entitled to the bedroom.
The word master bedroom has been used since the 1920s when it was featured in a Sears home catalog. The word is intended for the master of the house or the owner of the house. Realtor groups are just moving away from the term master bedroom and, instead, use “primary bedroom.”
"Master bedroom" is a problematic term for its ties to slavery, implying a concept of dominance and ownership with which a modern-day room need not be imbued. Some claim "master" just refers to size rather than a slave owner's quarters.
In a statement to the press, NAR President Vince Malta states, “NAR sees no reason that real estate professionals cannot use the term, as there is also no evidence that it has any historical connection to slavery or any other kind of discrimination.”
The most popular choice throughout the real estate industry to replace “master bedroom” is “primary bedroom.”
Considering the word's history, it's clear that the term comes with sexist, racist and classist connotations that many people are, understandably, uncomfortable with. The movement away from the term began back in the 1990s.
In many real estate markets, the term “master” has been replaced with “primary” to describe the largest bathroom to be more sensitive to the marketplace. The primary bathroom is distinguished by its proximity to and sole use by the primary bedroom.
The phrase “Master Bedroom” is thought to have been coined in the 1920s by the Sears catalog to advertise a certain kind of luxury bedroom designed to appeal to a heteronormative nuclear family where the primary breadwinner was masculine.
An ensuite bathroom is a bathroom attached to a bedroom, with or without a door. It is also referred to as en suite, attached, adjoining, or master bathroom.
The replacement: Agents are replacing “master bedroom” with “primary bedroom” or “owner's suite.” That allows them to identify the largest bedroom in the home without referencing one of the nation's darkest legacies.
Obviously statements such as “no wheelchairs” are illegal. However, using phrases such as “great view,” “walk-in closets” or “walk to bus stop” is acceptable. There are certain “buzz” words you should still avoid. These are words or phrases that have been associated with discriminatory practices in the past.
What makes a master/primary suite different from a master bedroom is that it has all the features the latter has and a lot more. Most contractors can agree that the definition of a master suite is a large room that has a private bathroom and several other amenities depending on the individual's needs and preferences.
The idea of a his and hers closet is fairly straightforward: a storage space for clothing that has a binary division between one person's stuff and another's. These days they're also referred to as “dual closets” or “shared closets.”
The 'suite' life: Double the privacy, comforts, and luxuries of a master. A home with dual master suites comes with two (“dual″) separate and spacious primary bedrooms with their own en-suite bathrooms, usually at opposite sides of the home.
/ˌɒn ˈswiːt/ us. /ˌɑːn ˈswiːt/ used to describe a bathroom that is directly connected to a bedroom, or a bedroom that is connected to a bathroom: All four bedrooms in their new house are en suite.
The term "master bedroom" first showed up in 1920s Sears catalogs as a promotional term to describe the largest, most luxurious bedroom in their kit homes. It was really a marketing term, rather than a historical reference.
a person eminently skilled in something, as an occupation, art, or science: the great masters of the Impressionist period. a person whose teachings others accept or follow: a Zen master.
A quarter-bathroom is a small room that contains either a toilet or a shower stall. Quarter bathrooms are often called utility toilets or utility showers. Quarter bathrooms are not common.
And although these bathrooms get their name from the 18th-century English nursery rhyme (“Jack and Jill went up the hill…”), modern iterations of this shared bathroom are still called Jack-and-Jill.
Typically referring to bathrooms, this term—made common by the British and stemming from the French ensuite, which literally means afterwards—refers to how a bathroom adjoining a bedroom creates a suite and is often used to highlight the convenience of having a bedroom with an attached bathroom.
Now, terms such as “primary bedroom” or “owner's bedroom” are considered more socially correct. A lot of people are in the habit of using the term “master bedroom,” because they have for years, and I would bet that most of them don't intend to be offensive.
In fact, when the HAR announced that they were dropping the term “master bedroom” in June 2020, their statement indicated that more of their members viewed it as sexist than racist, Marketwatch reports, noting that others did see it as racist, as well.
Despite the level of prestige, the name of the tournament has sparked controversy because of the origins from which the name was derived. The name signifies “master” in relation to the “master” of enslaved people.