To refer to married women, miss to refer to unmarried women and young girls, and ms To refer to a woman of unknown marital status or when marital status is irrelevant. Is mmes., a shortening of the french plural mesdames English borrowed the french plural for this honorific after adopting messrs For the plural of mr. Originated as a contraction of the honorific mistress (the feminine of mister or master) which was originally applied to both married and unmarried women in the upper class
Writers who used mrs for unmarried women include daniel defoe, samuel richardson, henry fielding, and samuel johnson. Is a title used for a married woman The more neutral title ms Can be used instead for a woman whose marital status is unknown or irrelevant or who expresses a preference for this mode of address. Can be used as interchangeable terms, you might wonder what the proper etiquette rule is based on marital status Is the incorrect title for a single woman, but ms
It may surprise you, but messrs., mmes Are proper, if underused, abbreviations Wondering what the plural of mr You’ve come to the right place. Is an abbreviation of missus, which originally came from the word mistress Is typically used to address married women
It indicates a woman’s marital status and is often used alongside her husband’s name.
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