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Ms. (
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 Ms ( British English; normally , but also , or when unstressed)''Oxford English Dictionary'' online, Ms, ''n.2''. Etymology: "An orthographic and phonetic blend of Mrs ''n.1'' and miss ''n.2'' Compare mizz ''n.'' The pronunciation with final /-z/ would appear to have arisen as a result of deliberate attempts to distinguish between this word and miss ''n.2''; compare mizz ''n.'', and perhaps also Miz ''n.1''" — izz ''n.'': Etymology: Representing the spoken realization of Ms ''n.2'' (see discussion at that entry) Accessed 2012-07-25. is an English-language honorific used with the last name or full name of a woman, intended as a default form of address for women regardless of marital status. Like ''
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 ...
'' and ''
Mrs Mrs. (American English) or Mrs (British English; standard English pronunciation: ) is a commonly used English honorific for Woman, women, usually for those who are married and who do not instead use another title (or rank), such as ''Doctor (ti ...
.'', the term ''Ms.'' has its origins in the female English title once used for all women, ''
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 ...
''. It originated in the 17th century and was revived into mainstream usage in the 20th century. In the UK, Ireland and the majority of
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 is usually not used with the title; in Canada and the United States a 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 ...
).


Historical development and revival of the term

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 ...
and Mrs., both derived from the then formal Mistress, like Mister did not originally indicate marital status. Ms. was another acceptable abbreviation for Mistress in England in the 17th and 18th centuries. During the 19th century, however, Mrs. and Miss came to be associated almost exclusively with marital status. Ms. was popularized as an alternative in the 20th century. The earliest known proposal for the modern revival of Ms. as a title appeared in '' The Republican'' of
Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...
, on November 10, 1901: The term was again suggested as a convenience to writers of business letters by such publications as the ''Bulletin of the American Business Writing Association'' (1951) and ''The Simplified Letter'', issued by the National Office Management Association (1952). In 1961, Sheila Michaels attempted to put the term into use when she saw what she thought was a typographical error on the address label of a copy of ''
News & Letters News and Letters Committees is a small revolutionary-socialist organization in the United States. History Founded in 1955 by Raya Dunayevskaya, the Committees trace their origin to a split in the Correspondence Publishing Committee, which had be ...
'' sent to her roommate. Michaels "was looking for a title for a woman who did not 'belong' to a man". She knew the separation of the now common terms ''Miss'' and ''Mrs.'' had derived from ''Mistress'', but one could not suggest that women use the original title with its now louche connotations. Her efforts to promote use of a new honorific were at first ignored. In 1969, during a lull in an interview with ''The Feminists'' group on WBAI-FM radio in New York City, Michaels suggested the use of ''Ms.'' A friend of Gloria Steinem heard the interview and suggested it as a title for her new magazine. The magazine '' Ms.'' debuted on newsstands in January 1972, and its much-publicized name quickly led to widespread usage. In February 1972, the US Government Printing Office approved using ''Ms.'' in official government documents. In 1976, Marvel Comics introduced a new
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
named Ms. Marvel, billing her as the "first feminist superhero". Even several public opponents of such usage, including William Safire, were finally convinced that ''Ms.'' had earned a place in English by the case of
US Congresswoman The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
Geraldine Ferraro. Ferraro, a United States vice-presidential candidate in 1984, was a married woman who used her birth surname professionally rather than her husband's (Zaccaro). Safire, though saying "it breaks my heart," admitted in 1984 that it would be equally incorrect to call her "Miss Ferraro" (as she was married) or "Mrs. Ferraro" (as her husband was not "Mr. Ferraro")—and that calling her "Mrs. Zaccaro" would confuse the reader.


Usage

Suggestions about how ''Ms.'' should be used, or whether it should be used at all, are varied, with more criticism in the U.K. than in the U.S. '' The Daily Telegraph'' states in its style guide that ''Ms'' should only be used if a subject requests it herself and it "should not be used merely because we do not know whether the woman is Mrs or Miss". '' The Guardian'', which restricts its use of honorific titles to
leading article An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK) is an article written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper, magazine, or any other written document, often unsigned. Australian and major United States newspapers, suc ...
s, states in its style guide: "use Ms for women ... unless they have expressed a preference for Miss or Mrs". A
BBC Academy The BBC Academy is an educational arm of the British Broadcasting Corporation which trains current and prospective broadcasting employees in the skills of the Broadcasting industry, in addition to training the corporation's own staff and prospect ...
style guide states, "In choosing between Miss, Mrs and Ms, try to find out what the person herself uses, and stick to that." '' The New York Times'' embraces the use of all three: Mrs., Miss, and Ms., and will follow the individual’s preferences. Some British etiquette writers and famous figures do not support the use of ''Ms'', including Charles Kidd, the editor of Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage, who claims the usage is "not very helpful" and that he had been "brought up to address a married woman as Mrs John Smith, for example". Debrett's itself, concerning the case of a married woman who chooses not to take her husband's name, states, "The ugly-sounding Ms is problematic. Although many women have assumed this bland epithet, it remains incorrect to use it when addressing a social letter." The former British
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
Member of Parliament (MP) Ann Widdecombe has stated, "I can't see the point of Ms and I don't see it as an issue", whilst author and journalist
Jessica Fellowes Jessica Fellowes (born 1974) is an English author and freelance journalist. She is the niece of Julian Fellowes (Baron Fellowes of West Stafford). Career Fellowes was assistant editor of ''Marketing Business'' from October 2000 to July 2001; ...
describes the title Ms as "ghastly". The Queen's English Society has criticised the use of Ms as "an abbreviation that is not short for anything", describing it as a "linguistic misfit hatcame about because certain women suddenly became sensitive about revealing their marital status". The default use of ''Ms.'', especially for business purposes, is championed by some American sources, including Judith Martin (''a.k.a.'' Miss Manners). Concerning business, the
Emily Post Institute The Emily Post Institute (EPI) is an organization located in Burlington, Vermont, that provides etiquette advice and training to news outlets and corporations in the United States of America and worldwide. It was founded by etiquette author Emily ...
states, "Ms. is the default form of address, unless you know positively that a woman wishes to be addressed as Mrs." ''The American Heritage Book of English Usage'' states, "Using Ms. obviates the need for the guesswork involved in figuring out whether to address someone as Mrs. or Miss: you can't go wrong with Ms. Whether the woman you are addressing is married or unmarried, has changed her name or not, Ms. is always correct."


Notes


External links


''The Times'' style guide

''The Guardian'' style guide
{{Social titles Honorifics Women's social titles