”Mistory Lesson” - How Mistress Became “Miss” and “Mrs”
The title “Mistress” is feminine for the word “mister.” As with mister, mistress is marital status neutral and refers to both married and unmarried women. Eventually, “Mistress” was split into two separate contractions to distinguish the marital status of women: “Miss” to refer to unmarried women and “Mrs” for married women.In subsequent years (or rather, centuries) women once again moved back towards a less identifying term, adopting "Ms" to include all adult women, regardless of their marital status.
In the U.S., never use the term mistress to identify or introduce a woman as it would have a completely different meaning today – especially in a business setting!
When to Use Miss
Address young girls as “Miss.” You can also address unmarried women as “Miss,” however, many unmarried women prefer to be referred to as “Ms” instead.When to Use Ms
In objection to the generic term “Mr” that does not distinguish single men from married men, feminists began promoting the term “Ms” for women to serve as the “female” counterpart to mister. “Ms” can be used by any adult women regardless of her marital status, however, "Ms" refers to adult women, not to girls.It is almost always better to err on the side of “Ms.” when referring to a woman if you are unsure of her preferred title or marital status.
When to Use Mrs
The term “Mrs” originated to specifically refer to a married woman. However, some women keep the “Mrs” In their name even after a divorce, and most women retain “Mrs” when they are widowed. It is not safe to assume that all women using “Mrs.” as a title have a current or living spouse.In the UK and British English, no period is used. Use Mrs instead of Mrs. (with a period). Always use the abbreviation and do not spell out “Mrs.” In the English language there is no standard for spelling for "Mrs" but “missus” or “missis” both appear in literature.
A Brief Mention About Men’s Titles
Men are easy. For the most part, there are only two ways to apply a gender title the the male species: men, or boys:- Master: This title is used to refer to and address boys and never for adult men unless the title is part of a professional title (not just a gender title) as in “headmaster.”
- Mister (Mr): The term “mister” (abbreviated as “Mr.” is used to identify men too old to be called “master” and can refer to any man regardless of their marital status. The correct spelling is “mister” but when using the term as a title should always be abbreviated.
