Mrs.

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Mrs (UK) or Mrs. (USA) is an English honorific used for women, usually for those who are married and who do not instead use another title, such as “Dr”, “Lady” or “Dame”. The pronunciation varies regionally but is usually (/ˈmɪsɨz/ or /ˈmɪsɨs/). An exception is the American South and some sub-cultures, where the “s” and “z” sounds are sometimes slurred together, sounding very much like the way “Ms.” is pronounced. In most Commonwealth countries and Ireland, a full stop (period) does not usually follow the abbreviated form: “Mrs Price”. In the U.S. a period is used: this divergence in custom is discussed in the history section of the article on 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. The split into “Mrs” for married women from “Ms” and “Miss” began during the 17th century ^[1][2]

It is rare for Mrs to be written in non-abbreviated form and lacks a standard phonetic spelling. In literature it may appear as “missus” or “missis” in dialogue, and a variant in the works of Thomas Hardy and others is “Mis’ess”, reflecting its etymology. "Misses" has been used but is ambiguous as this is also used as a plural for "Miss". The plural of “Mrs.” is from the French: “Mesdames.” This may be used as is in written correspondence, or may be abbreviated “Mmes.”

Traditional usage

“Mrs.” was most often used by women when married, in conjunction with her husband’s first and last names, e.g. “Mrs. John Smith”. A widow was and still is addressed with the same title as when she was married. "Mrs." was rarely used before a woman's first name, maiden name, or before a hyphenated surname her husband was not using. For example, “Mrs. Jane Miller” (wife of John Smith), "Mrs. Jane Smith" or “Mrs. Jane Miller-Smith” were considered incorrect by many etiquette writers, especially of the early 20th century.^[3]

The use of “Mrs.” as a default for all women was and still is occasionally employed, following the custom of some European countries. 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. For this reason, usage has shifted towards using the married title as the default for all women in professional usage. This has long been followed in the United Kingdom for some high-ranking household staff, such as housekeepers, cooks, and nannies, who have been called “Mrs.” as a mark of respect.

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 surname in place of the first name. However, the form “Mrs. Jane Miller” eventually became widely used for divorcées, even in formal correspondence.

Before social mores relaxed to the point where single women with children were socially acceptable, the “unwed mother” was often advised by etiquette mavens like Emily Post 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 (Miss Helen Hayes, Miss Amelia Earhart) but this also proved problematic, as when a married woman did use her husband’s name but was still referred to as ‘Miss’ — see more at Ms. and Miss.

Modern Usage

It is now uncommon for women to use their husband's first name, except when the couple is being addressed jointly, such as in “Mr. and Mrs. Rhett Butler”.

Many married women still utilize the title with their husband's last name, but retaining their first name, "Mrs. Jane Smith," while many have eschewed the title completely in professional life, utilizing "Ms." Any choice of title, first, and last name is considered acceptable both socially and professionally today, and should be honored once it is made known.

Modern etiquette has no absolute rules as how to address married couples in which the wife uses her own last name, or uses a title such as “Dr.” or "Mayor". Etiquette writer Judith Martin (“Miss Manners”) generally advises that in non-standard situations, the individuals be addressed in separate lines on invitations (Dr. Sue Martin / Mr. John Martin).

In direct address, a woman with the title “Mrs.” may be addressed "Mrs. [Lastname], or with the stand alone “Madam” or “Ma’am,” though these are most often used for all adult women regardless of marital status in modern conversation.

Parody usage

The term “M.R.S. degree” has been used derogatorily to denote women whose reason for attending college appears to be primarily to find a husband rather than to study.^[4]

Foreign equivalents

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• Afrikaans: Mevrou (Mev.)
• Albanian: Zonjë (Znj.)
• Arabic: ﺳﻴﺪۃ (Sayyidah)
• Armenian: Տիկին (Tikin)
• Assyrian: Myaqoorta
• Azeri: Xanım
• Belarusian: Спадарыня Spadarynia (read: -nya), Панi (Pani)
• Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian: Gospođa, (Serbian Cyrillic Госпођа) (G-đa or Gđa., Г-ђа or Гђа.)
• Bulgarian: Госпожа (Г-жа G-ja),
• Catalan: Senyora (Sra.)
• Chinese 夫人 (Fūren)
• Czech: Paní (Pí.)
• Danish: Fru (Fr.)
• Dutch: Mevrouw (Mevr.)
• Esperanto: Sinjorino (S-ino)
• Estonian: Proua (Pr.)
• Finnish: Rouva (Rva)
• Filipino: Ginang (Gng.)
• French: Madame (M^me)
• Galician: Dona (Dna.)
• Georgian: ქალბატონი (K'albatoni)
• German: Frau (Fr.)
• Greek: Κυρία, Kiría , (Κα., Ka.)
• Hebrew: גברת (Gveret)
• Hindi: श्रीमती (Śrīmatī)
• Hungarian: Asszony
• Icelandic: Frú (Fr.)
• Ido: Sioro or Siorino (Sro.; Sr-no.), the former being used both for men or women, and the latter being specific for (usually married) women.
• Indonesian: Nyonya (Ny.)
• Irish: Bean (Bn)
• Italian: Signora (Sig.ra)
• Japanese: 女史 (じょし) (Joshi)
• Kannada: ಶ್ರೀಮತಿ (Śrīmatī)
• Kazakh: Ханым (Khanym)
• Korean: 부인 (Buin)
• Kotava: weltikya
• Latvian: Kundze
• Lithuanian: Ponia
• Macedonian: Госпоѓа, (Gospogja) (abbreviation: Gga or G-ga; in Cyrilic: Г-ѓа or Гѓа). Used for all married women.
• Malay: Puan
• Maltese: Sinjura
• Marathi: सौभाग्यवती Saubhāgyavatī (सौ Sau)
• Norwegian: Fru (Fr.)
• Occitan: Dòna (Da.)
• Oriya: Srimati
• Persian: بانو (Bānu)
• Polish: Pani (P.)
• Portuguese: Senhora (Sra.)
• Punjabi: ਸਰਦਾਰਨੀ (Sardarni) (ਸਦਨ Sdn.)
• Romanian: Doamna (D-na)
• Russian: Госпожа (Gospozha) (Г-жа G-zha)
• Sanskrit: श्रीमती (Śrīmatī)
• Scots Gaelic: Bean (Be.)
• Slovak: Pani (P.)
• Slovenian: Gospa (Ga.)
• Spanish: Señora (Sra.)
• Swedish: Fru (Fr.)
• Tamil: திருமதி (Thirumathi)
• Telugu: శ్రీమతి (Śrīmatī)
• Thai: นาง (Nang)
• Turkish: Bayan (Byn.)
• Ukrainian: Панi (Pani)
• urdu:Mohatarma
• Vietnamese: Bà (B.)
• Welsh: Bonesig

See also

• Doctor
• Mister

References