Mrs.

Uncommon card · No. 189827

Mrs. (American English) or Mrs (British English, Australian English and New Zealand English ; standard English pronunciation: MISS-iz) is a commonly used English honorific for women, usually for those who are married and without a higher honorific, professional title, or any of various designations of office. In most Commonwealth countries, a full stop (period) is usually not used with the title. In the United States and Canada a period (full stop) is usually used (see Abbreviation). Mrs. 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 split into Mrs for married women and Miss for unmarried began during the 17th century, but was not reliable until well into the 19th century. It is rare for Mrs. to be written in a non-abbreviated form, and...

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