Main Entry:

mis·tress

Pronunciation:

\ˈmis-trəs\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English maistresse, from Anglo-French mestresse, feminine of mestre master — more at master

Date:

14th century

1: a woman who has power, authority, or ownership: as a: the female head of a household b: a woman who employs or supervises servants c: a woman who is in charge of a school or other establishment d: a woman of the Scottish nobility having a status comparable to that of a master 2 achiefly British : a female teacher or tutor b: a woman who has achieved mastery in some field3: something personified as female that rules, directs, or dominates <when Rome was mistress of the world>4 a: a woman other than his wife with whom a married man has a continuing sexual relationship barchaic : sweetheart5 a—used archaically as a title prefixed to the name of a married or unmarried woman bchiefly Southern & Midland : mrs. 1a