English borrowed the french plural for this honorific after adopting messrs For the plural of mr. Generally speaking, it is considered proper etiquette to use mrs 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. 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. The other difference is that mrs To be polite in addressing a married woman without including her last name, speakers of american english would often refer to her as ma’am. 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.
Is typically used to address married women It indicates a woman’s marital status and is often used alongside her husband’s name. Mrs., the title for married women, especially those who’ve chosen to share a name with their husband, is an abbreviation. Serve as titles for women, they convey different messages regarding marital status and identity Indicates a married woman, ms Serves as a versatile title that respects a woman's autonomy and privacy in terms of her personal life.
As a consequence, writers are often unsure whether to use ms., miss, or mrs. when addressing a woman in an email or a letter These feminine honorifics are all contractions of the word mistress.
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