From Old French 'macon,' possibly from Frankish *makjo (maker) — the stoneworker is literally 'the maker.'
The craft of building with stone, brick, or concrete blocks; also the stonework or brickwork itself; when capitalized, short for Freemasonry.
From Old French 'maçonerie' (masonry, stonework), from 'maçon' (mason, stoneworker), which is of uncertain ultimate origin — possibly from Frankish *makjō (maker) or from Late Latin *matio (mason), possibly related to Latin 'machina' (device, contrivance). The word 'mason' thus may mean simply 'maker' — one who makes things, specifically one who makes walls and buildings from stone. The suffix '-ry' denotes the craft, product, or domain of the mason. Key roots: maçon (Old French: "mason, stoneworker"), *makjō (Frankish (tentative): "maker").
The word 'mason' may simply mean 'maker' — from Frankish *makjō — making it one of the most literal occupation names in English. Freemasonry took its name from medieval 'free masons,' stonemasons who worked in 'freestone' (fine-grained stone that could be carved freely in any direction).