Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “mistress” come from?

Mistress comes from Old French maistresse, feminine of Old French maistre, from Latin magister meaning "master" or "chief," derived from the Proto-Indo-European root meǵh₂- meaning "great" or "mighty."

mistress (English): A woman, specifically one with great control,...

Definitions

  1. A woman, specifically one with great control,...

Ancestry of “mistress”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchmaistresse—
2Old Frenchmaistremaster; Master; magister
3Latinmagisterteacher; master; a title of the Middle Ages,...
4Proto-Italicmagisteros—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanméǵh₂isteros—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanméǵh₂sbig, great

Words derived from “mistress”

  • Miss
  • Mrs
  • Ms
  • missus
  • schoolmistress
  • headmistress
  • Mx
  • postmistress
  • taskmistress
  • housemistress
  • toastmistress
  • webmistress
  • choirmistress
  • schoolmistressy
  • mistressship
  • mistressless
  • whoremistress
  • ringmistress
  • paymistress
  • subpostmistress
  • stationmistress
  • schoolmistressly
  • grandmistress
  • quizmistress
Every word from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂s →