Definitions for MSmɪz; ˈmɪz əz

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

manuscript.
Mississippi.
Category: Geography (places)
motorship.
Category: Nautical
multiple sclerosis.
Category: Pathology

Ms.^*mɪz; ˈmɪz əz(pl.)Mses.

a title of respect prefixed to a woman's name: unlike Miss or Mrs., it does not depend upon or indicate her marital status.
a title prefixed to a mock surname that is used to represent possession of a particular attribute, identity, etc.:
Ms. Cooperation.
Category: Common Vocabulary

^* Usage: Ms . came into use in the 1940s. In the early 1970s the women's movement adopted and encouraged the use of Ms . on the grounds that since a man's marital status is not revealed by Mr., a woman's status should not be revealed by her title. Since then Ms . has gained wide currency, esp. in business and professional spheres.Pron: The pronunciation of Ms. (miz) is identical with one standard South Midland and Southern U.S. pronunciation of Mrs.

m/s

meter per second.
Category: Weights and Measures

M.S.

mail steamer.
Category: Nautical
Master of Science.
Category: Education
Master of Surgery.
Category: Education, Medicine

Princeton's WordNet

multiple sclerosis, MS, disseminated sclerosis, disseminated multiple sclerosis(noun)
a chronic progressive nervous disorder involving loss of myelin sheath around certain nerve fibers
Mississippi, Magnolia State, MS(noun)
a state in the Deep South on the gulf of Mexico; one of the Confederate States during the American Civil War
Master of Science, MS, SM, MSc(noun)
a master's degree in science
manuscript, ms(noun)
the form of a literary work submitted for publication
Ms, Ms.(noun)
a form of address for a woman

Wiktionary

Ms(Noun)
A title used before an adult female's name or surname instead of Miss or Mrs.
ms(Abbreviation)
Metres per second.

Origin: Pre-19th century contraction of "Mistress" (http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/columns/missmanners/index.html); widely adopted by feminists from the 1970s onwards as a non-sexist title that does not reveal or assume the marital status of the woman to which it is applied, by analogy with Mr, which functions in this way.