Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “housemistress” come from?

housemistress (English) comes from English Mistress, from Middle English maistresse, from Old French maistresse, from Old French maistre, from Latin magister, from Proto-Italic magisteros, from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂isteros, from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂s — big, great.

housemistress (English): female housemaster

Definitions

  1. female housemaster

Ancestry of “housemistress”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMistressUsed as the title of a married woman before her...
2Middle Englishmaistresse—
3Old Frenchmaistresse—
4Old Frenchmaistremaster; Master; magister
5Latinmagisterteacher; master; a title of the Middle Ages,...
6Proto-Italicmagisteros—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanméǵh₂isteros—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanméǵh₂sbig, great
Every word from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂s →