'bandmaster' originates from Modern English, specifically the compound of 'band' and 'master', where 'band' in the sense of 'group' comes from earlier Germanic roots and 'master' comes ultimately from Latin 'magister' (via Old French 'maistre') meaning 'teacher' or 'chief'.

'bandmaster' developed as a compound in Modern English (recorded from the 18th–19th century) combining 'band' (from Middle English/Old Norse 'band' meaning 'group' or 'troop') and 'master' (from Old French 'maistre', from Latin 'magister'), resulting in the modern English term 'bandmaster'.

Initially the elements meant 'group' ('band') and 'chief/teacher' ('master'); over time the compound came to denote specifically the 'leader or conductor of a musical band'.