Where does “missus” come from?
Missus derives from English mistress, which comes from Old French maistresse, the feminine form of Old French maistre from Latin magister meaning "master," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European meǵh₂- meaning "great."
missus (English): Wife or girlfriend; Term of address for a woman
Definitions
- Wife or girlfriend; Term of address for a woman
Ancestry of “missus”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Mrs | Abbreviation of Missus or Mistress |
| 2 | English | Mistress | Used as the title of a married woman before her... |
| 3 | Middle English | maistresse | mistress |
| 4 | Old French | maistresse | — |
| 5 | Old French | maistre | master; Master; magister |
| 6 | Latin | magister | teacher; master; a title of the Middle Ages,... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | magisteros | bigger, greater |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂isteros | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂s | big, great |