Ms.

This article is about the title. For the magazine, see Ms. (magazine). For other uses, see MS (disambiguation).

Ms. (American English)[1] or Ms (British English;[2] normally /ˈmɪz/, but also /məz/, or /məs/ when unstressed)[3][4] is an English-language honorific used with the last name or full name of a woman, intended as a default form of address for women regardless of marital status.[5] Like Miss and Mrs., the term Ms. has its origins in the female English title once used for all women, Mistress. It originated in the 17th century and was revived into mainstream usage in the 20th century.[6]

It is followed by a full stop, or period, in Canada and the United States, but not in many other English-speaking countries.[3][7]

  1. ^ "Definition of Ms". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  2. ^ "Ms". Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  3. ^ a b Oxford English Dictionary online, Ms, n.2. Etymology: "An orthographic and phonetic blend of Mrs n.1 and miss n.2 Compare mizz n. The pronunciation with final /-z/ would appear to have arisen as a result of deliberate attempts to distinguish between this word and miss n.2; compare mizz n., and perhaps also Miz n.1" — [mizz n.: Etymology: Representing the spoken realization of Ms n.2 (see discussion at that entry)]. Accessed 2012-07-25.
  4. ^ Wells, John C. (1990). Longman pronunciation dictionary r. Harlow, England: Longman. p. 463. ISBN 0-582-05383-8. entry "Ms". It may be pronounced with schwa even in stressed situation.
  5. ^ "Emily Post's Guide to Addressing Correspondence: Addressing a Woman". The Emily Post Institute. Archived from the original on 2010-02-08. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  6. ^ Zimmer, Ben (2009-06-23). "Hunting the Elusive First 'Ms.'". Word Routes. The Visual Thesaurus. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
  7. ^ "Abbreviations : Capital Letters and Abbreviations". www.sussex.ac.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2018.