What does MISTRESS mean?

Definitions for MISTRESS
ˈmɪs trɪsmis·tress

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word MISTRESS.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. mistress, kept woman, fancy womannoun

    an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man

  2. schoolmarm, schoolma'am, schoolmistress, mistressnoun

    a woman schoolteacher (especially one regarded as strict)

  3. mistressnoun

    a woman master who directs the work of others

GCIDE

  1. Mistressnoun

    A woman filling the place, but without the rights, of a wife; a woman having an ongoing usually exclusive sexual relationship with a man, who may provide her with financial support in return; a concubine; a loose woman with whom one consorts habitually; as, both his wife and his mistress attended his funeral. Spectator.

Wiktionary

  1. mistressnoun

    a woman, specifically one with control, authority or ownership

    She was the mistress of the mansion, and owned the horses.

  2. mistressnoun

    a female teacher

    games mistress

  3. mistressnoun

    a female partner in an extramarital relationship, generally including sexual relations.

  4. mistressnoun

    a dominatrix

  5. Mistressnoun

    Used as the title of a married woman before her name. Now used only in the abbreviated form Mrs.

    She was the mistress of the mansion, and owned the horses.

  6. Etymology: From and maistresse (French: maîtresse), feminine of maistre, master

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Mistressnoun

    Etymology: maistresse, maîtresse, French.

    Here stood he in the dark, his sharp sword out,
    Mumbling of wicked charms, conj’ring the moon
    To stand’s auspicious mistress. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

    Let us prepare
    Some welcome for the mistress of the house. William Shakespeare.

    Like the lily,
    That once was mistress of the field and flourish’d,
    I’ll hang my head and perish. William Shakespeare, Henry VIII.

    He’ll make your Paris louvre shake for it,
    Were it the mistress court of mighty Europe. William Shakespeare.

    I will not charm my tongue; I’m bound to speak;
    My mistress here lies murther’d in her bed. William Shakespeare, Othello.

    The late queen’s gentlewoman! a knight’s daughter!
    To be her mistress’ mistress! the queen’s queen. William Shakespeare.

    Rome now is mistress of the whole world, sea and land, to either pole. Ben Jonson, Catiline.

    Wonder not, sov’reign mistress! if perhaps
    Thou can’st, who art sole wonder; much less arm
    Thy looks, the heav’n of mildness, with disdain. John Milton.

    Those who assert the lunar orb presides
    O’er humid bodies, and the ocean guides;
    Whose waves obsequious ebb, or swelling run
    With the declining or encreasing moon;
    With reason seem her empire to maintain
    As mistress of the rivers and the main. Richard Blackmore.

    What a miserable spectacle, for a nation that had been mistress at sea so long! John Arbuthnot, on Coins.

    There had she enjoyed herself while she was mistress of herself, and had no other thoughts but such as might arise out of quiet senses. Philip Sidney, b. ii.

    Ages to come, that shall your bounty hear,
    Will think you mistress of the Indies were;
    Though streighter bounds your fortune did confine,
    In your large heart was found a wealthy mine. Edmund Waller.

    A letter desires all young wives to make themselves mistresses of Wingate’s Arithmetick. Joseph Addison, Spect. №. 92.

    Erect publick schools, provided with the best and ablest masters and mistresses. Jonathan Swift.

    They would not suffer the prince to confer with, or very rarely to see, his mistress, whom they pretended he should forthwith marry. Edward Hyde.

    Nice honour still engages to requite
    False mistresses and proud with slight for slight. George Granville.

    Look you, pale mistress,
    Do you perceive the ghastness of her eye? William Shakespeare.

ChatGPT

  1. Mistress

    A mistress is a woman who is involved in a long-term extramarital relationship with a man who is usually married or committed to someone else. She typically receives material and emotional benefits from the relationship, but does not have the same social status as the man's spouse or partner.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Mistressnoun

    a woman having power, authority, or ownership; a woman who exercises authority, is chief, etc.; the female head of a family, a school, etc

  2. Mistressnoun

    a woman well skilled in anything, or having the mastery over it

  3. Mistressnoun

    a woman regarded with love and devotion; she who has command over one's heart; a beloved object; a sweetheart

  4. Mistressnoun

    a woman filling the place, but without the rights, of a wife; a concubine; a loose woman with whom one consorts habitually

  5. Mistressnoun

    a title of courtesy formerly prefixed to the name of a woman, married or unmarried, but now superseded by the contracted forms, Mrs., for a married, and Miss, for an unmarried, woman

  6. Mistressnoun

    a married woman; a wife

  7. Mistressnoun

    the old name of the jack at bowls

  8. Mistressverb

    to wait upon a mistress; to be courting

  9. Etymology: [OE. maistress, OF. maistresse, F. matresse, LL. magistrissa, for L. magistra, fem. of magister. See Master, Mister, and cf. Miss a young woman.]

Wikidata

  1. Mistress

    A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually, but not always, secret. There is an implication that a mistress may be "kept"—i.e., that the lover is paying for some of the woman's living expenses. The word mistress was originally used as a neutral counterpart to mister or master.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Mistress

    mis′tres, n. (fem. of Master) a woman having power or ownership: the female head of a family, school, &c.: a woman well skilled in anything: a woman loved and courted: a concubine: (fem. of Mister) a form of address once applied to any woman or girl, now given to a married woman (usually written Mrs and pronounced mis′ez): (Shak.) the small ball at bowls, now called the Jack, at which the players aim.—v.t. to play the mistress. [O. Fr. maistresse (Fr. maîtresse).]

The Roycroft Dictionary

  1. mistress

    1. A female who has rights, as distinguished from a married woman, who has duties. 2. One whose respect and love some married men may hold without the non-transferable license in the bottom of a trunk.

British National Corpus

  1. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'MISTRESS' in Nouns Frequency: #2584

How to pronounce MISTRESS?

How to say MISTRESS in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of MISTRESS in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of MISTRESS in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of MISTRESS in a Sentence

  1. Wesley D'Amico:

    Whoever marries his mistress has no right to separate for treason.”

  2. Charles Sumner:

    The senator from South Carolina has read many books of chivalry, and believes himself a chivalrous knight, with sentiments of honor and courage. Of course he has chosen a mistress to whom he has made his vows, i mean the harlot Slavery.

  3. Ambrose Bierce:

    Marriage: the state or condition of a community consisting of a master, a mistress, and two slaves, making in all, two.

  4. Nina Turner:

    For far too long the African-American community has been the mistress of the Democratic Party. I'm gonna put that out there, i'm a proud Democrat. I am loyal, but I am not blindly loyal.

  5. Teresa Taylor:

    I truly loved and cared for him. I was 19.I didn’t even know the word mistress, i actually believed he would leave his wife for me but they never leave.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

MISTRESS#1#7692#10000

Translations for MISTRESS

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for MISTRESS »

Translation

Find a translation for the MISTRESS definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"MISTRESS." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/MISTRESS>.

Discuss these MISTRESS definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for MISTRESS? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    actively or fully engaged or occupied
    A noninvasive
    B abrupt
    C blistering
    D busy

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for MISTRESS: