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Mrs. (
American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lan ...
) or Mrs (
British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in ...
; standard English pronunciation: ) is a commonly used
English honorific In the English language, an honorific is a form of address conveying esteem, courtesy or respect. These can be titles prefixing a person's name, ''e.g.'': ''Mr'', ''Mrs'', ''Miss'', ''Ms'', ''Mx,'' ''Sir'', ''Dame'', ''Dr'', ''Cllr'', ''Lady'' or ...
for
women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or Adolescence, adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female hum ...
, usually for those who are married and who do not instead use another title (or rank), such as ''
Doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...
'', ''
Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
'', ''
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
'', ''
Dame ''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system and those of several oth ...
'', etc. In most
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
countries, a full stop (period) is usually not used with the title. In the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
a period (full stop) is usually used (see
Abbreviation An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...
). ''Mrs'' originated as a
contraction Contraction may refer to: Linguistics * Contraction (grammar), a shortened word * Poetic contraction, omission of letters for poetic reasons * Elision, omission of sounds ** Syncope (phonology), omission of sounds in a word * Synalepha, merged ...
of the honorific ''
Mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...
'' (the feminine of ''
Mister ''Mister'', usually written in its contracted form ''Mr.'' or ''Mr'', is a commonly used English honorific for men without a higher honorific, or professional title, or any of various designations of office. The title 'Mr' derived from earlier ...
'' or ''
Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
'') which was originally applied to both married and unmarried women. The split into ''Mrs'' for married women and ''
Miss Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as "Doctor" or "Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, it ...
'' for unmarried began during the 17th century; the 17th century also saw the coinage of a new
unmarked In linguistics and social sciences, markedness is the state of standing out as nontypical or divergent as opposed to regular or common. In a marked–unmarked relation, one term of an opposition is the broader, dominant one. The dominant defau ...
option '' Ms'' with a return of this usage appearing in the 20th century. It is rare for ''Mrs'' to be written in a non-abbreviated form, and the unabbreviated word lacks a standard spelling. In literature it may appear as ''missus'' or ''missis'' in dialogue. A variant in the works of
Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...
and others is "Mis'ess", reflecting its
etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...
. ''Misses'' has been used but is ambiguous, as this is a commonly used plural for ''Miss''. The plural of ''Mrs'' is from the French: ''Mesdames''. This may be used as-is in written correspondence, or it may be abbreviated ''Mmes''.


Traditional usage

''Mrs'' was most often used by a woman when married, in conjunction with her husband's first and last names (e.g., ''Mrs John Smith''). A
widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word ...
would also be addressed with the same title as when she was married. ''Mrs'' was rarely used before a woman's first name, her birth name, or a hyphenated surname her husband was not using. For example, ''Mrs Jane Smith'', ''Mrs Miller'' (wife of John Smith), or ''Mrs Miller-Smith'' were considered incorrect by many etiquette writers, especially of the early 20th century. In several languages, the title for married women such as ''Madame'', ''Señora'', ''Signora'', or ''Frau'', is the direct feminine equivalent of the title used for men; the title for unmarried women is a diminutive: ''Mademoiselle'', ''Señorita'', ''Signorina'', or ''
Fräulein ''Fräulein'' ( , ) is the German language honorific for unmarried women, comparable to Miss in English and Mademoiselle in French. Description ''Fräulein'' is the diminutive form of ''Frau'', which was previously reserved only for marrie ...
''. For this reason, usage had shifted toward using the married title as the default for all women in professional usage. This had long been followed in the United Kingdom for some high-ranking household staff, such as housekeepers, cooks, and
nannies A nanny is a person who provides child care. Typically, this care is given within the children's family setting. Throughout history, nannies were usually servants in large households and reported directly to the lady of the house. Today, modern ...
, who were called ''Mrs'' as a mark of respect regardless of marital status. In the United Kingdom, the traditional form for a divorcée was ''Mrs Jane Smith''. In the U.S., the divorcée originally retained her full married name unless she remarried. Later, the form ''Mrs Miller Smith'' was sometimes used, with the
birth Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring, also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the f ...
surname in place of the first name. However, the form ''Mrs Jane Miller'' eventually became widely used for divorcées, even in formal correspondence; that is, ''Mrs'' preceded the divorcée's maiden name. Before social mores relaxed to the point where single women with children were socially acceptable, the unwed mother was often advised by
etiquette Etiquette () is the set of norms of personal behaviour in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviours that accord with the conventions and norms observed and practised by a ...
mavens like
Emily Post Emily Post ( Price; October 27, 1872 – September 25, 1960) was an American author, novelist, and socialite, famous for writing about etiquette. Early life Post was born Emily Bruce Price in Baltimore, Maryland, possibly in October 1872. Th ...
to use ''Mrs'' with her maiden name to avoid scrutiny. The separation of ''Miss'' and ''Mrs'' became problematic as more women entered the white-collar workforce. Women who became famous or well known in their professional circles before marriage often kept their birth names, stage names, or ''noms de plume''. ''Miss'' became the appellation for celebrities (e.g., Miss
Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur ( Brown; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned 80 years. She eventually received the nickname "First Lady of American Theatre" and was the second person and first woman to have w ...
, or Miss
Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many oth ...
) but this also proved problematic, as when a married woman ''did'' use her husband’s last name but was still referred to as ''Miss''; see more at Ms and
Miss Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as "Doctor" or "Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, it ...
.


Modern usage

It is now very uncommon for a woman to be addressed by her husband's first name; however, this still sometimes occurs if a couple is being addressed jointly, such as in ''Mr. and Mrs. John Smith''. Many married women still use the title with their spouse's last name but retaining their first name (e.g., ''Mrs Jane Smith''). Other married women choose not to adopt their spouse's last name at all. It is generally considered polite to address a woman by ''Ms'' rather than ''Mrs'', unless the preference of the woman in question is clearly known. This is especially true in written communication, as dictated by professional etiquette. Modern
etiquette Etiquette () is the set of norms of personal behaviour in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviours that accord with the conventions and norms observed and practised by a ...
provides various options in addressing married couples in which the wife uses her own last name, or uses a title such as ''Dr'', ''Mayor'', or ''Ms''. Etiquette writer
Judith Martin Judith Martin (née Perlman; born September 13, 1938), better known by the pen name Miss Manners, is an American columnist, author, and etiquette authority. Early life and career Martin is the daughter of Helen and Jacob Perlman. Her father w ...
("Miss Manners") generally advises that, in non-standard situations, the individuals be addressed on separate lines when writing invitations (e.g., "Dr Sue Martin/Mr John Martin"). In direct address, a woman with the title ''Mrs'' may be addressed ''Mrs astname', or with the stand-alone ''
Madam Madam (), or madame ( or ), is a polite and formal form of address for Woman, women in the English language, often contracted to ma'am (pronounced in American English and this way but also in British English). The term derives from the French ...
'' or ''Ma'am'', although the latter two are more often used for any adult woman, regardless of marital status, in modern conversation. It is normally considered correct to address a woman as ''Ms astname', regardless of her marital status. A woman who has a long-term sexual relationship with a partner who is married may be referred to as that person's "
mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...
".


See also

*
Name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A personal ...


References

{{Social titles Women's social titles Honorifics