Ms
Title used before an adult woman's name or surname, especially when it is not desired or possible to indicate her marital status with Miss or Mrs.
Noun form of, plural
- plural of M
Origin
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Forms
Noun chemistry, natural sciences
- Abbreviation of mesyl.
Origin
From a shortening of its name.
Noun Entry 3
- Title used before an adult woman's name or surname, especially when it is not desired or possible to indicate her marital status with Miss or Mrs.
- Ms Jane Doe, Ms. Roe
Origin
Found since the 1600s as an abbreviation of mistress (whence also Miss and Mrs), a title which initially did not indicate marital status. Suggestions that the term be revived began in 1901, and referenced the fact that dialects such as Southern US English already made no distinction between Miss and Mrs (/ˈmɪz/) in speech. With the founding of the magazine Ms. in 1971, the term quickly became widespread as an alternative to Miss and Mrs., which require knowing (and publicizing) the referent's marital status.