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mastermind

[mas-ter-mahynd, mah-ster-]

Origin

verb (used with object)

to plan and direct (a usually complex project or activity), especially skillfully: Two colonels had masterminded the revolt.

noun

a person who originates or is primarily responsible for the execution of a particular idea, project, or the like: the masterminds of company policy.

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Origin:
1710–20; master + mind

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

mastermind (ˈmɑːstəˌmaɪnd)

—vb
1.	(tr) to plan and direct (a complex undertaking): he masterminded the robbery

—n
2.	a person of great intelligence or executive talent, esp one who directs an undertaking

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

mastermind

1720, "an outstanding intellect," from master + mind. Meaning "head of a criminal enterprise" is first attested 1872.

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"In inner-party politics, these methods lead, as we shall yet see, to this: the party organization substitutes itself for the party, the central committee substitutes itself for the organization, and, finally, a "dictator" substitutes himself for the central committee."

-Leon Trotsky

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mastermind

mas·ter·mind