ms.
• noun
A title used before a woman's surname or full name to address or refer to her without indicating her marital status (conventionally capitalized as 'Ms.').
"Please forward the signed contract to Ms. Johnson by the end of the afternoon."
A written or typewritten document, book, or musical score before it is published; an abbreviation of 'manuscript' (often capitalized as 'MS.').
"The scholar examined the original medieval ms. preserved in the university archive."
Word Nuance & Usage
When capitalized (Ms.), it serves as a polite, marital-status-neutral title for a woman, contrasting with 'Miss' (traditionally unmarried) and 'Mrs.' (married). In British English, the period is commonly omitted ('Ms').
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the early 20th century and popularized in the 1970s by the feminist movement as a blend or neutral counterpart to 'Miss' and 'Mrs.', both of which ultimately derive from 'mistress'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.