Ms or Ms. (US usage) (pronounced /məz/ or /mɪz/) is a title used with the last name or full name of a woman who is not entitled to be addressed with a higher title. Unlike the more traditional titles Miss and Mrs, it does not bear any reference to the woman's marital status, as Mr does not for a man. A title is a prefix or suffix added to a persons name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. ... A nude contemporary European woman A woman is a female human. ... Miss is a title, typically used for an unmarried woman. ... Mrs. ... In ordinary English, Mr is a written abbreviation for Mister. MR can also stand for: Magnetic resonance imaging, properly abbreviated MRI Magyar Rádió, a Hungarian radio station Master of the Rolls, the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal in the UK legal system Mathematical...

Although it is usually believed to be a creation of modern feminism, Ms was sporadically used as an abbreviation for the title "Mistress" (just like Mrs) as early as the 1700s, and the pronunciation mizz for Mrs was colloquial in the American South and other areas. Indeed "Mistress" originally did not bear reference to marital status either, until the title separated into the diminutive "Miss" and abbreviation "Mrs" in the 17th Century. Feminism is a diverse collection of social theories, political movements and moral philosophies, largely motivated by or concerned with the experiences of women. ... Mistress is an old form of address for a woman. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...

The use of Ms as a title was conceived by Sheila Michaels in 1961^{[citation needed]}, upon seeing what might be a typographical error on a copy of News & Letters. Address-o-graph plates were difficult to repair and small, poor groups would not waste resources to correct minor mistakes. Michaels' roommate, Mary Hamilton (Congress of Racial Equality's first female Field Secretary in the South) had spoken to the Marxist-Humanist group in Detroit and taken their newspaper. Michaels, who was illegitimate, and not adopted by her stepfather, had long grappled with finding a title which reflected her situation: not being owned by a father and not wishing to be owned by a husband. She knew the separation of Miss and Mrs had been recent, but one could not suggest that women call themselves Mistress with its louche connotations. Her efforts to promote use of a new honorific were ignored in the Civil Rights era, and seven years later in the nascent Women's Movement. Around 1971, in a lull during a WBAI-radio interview with The Feminists group, Michaels suggested the use of the title Ms (having chosen a pronunciation current for both in Missouri, her home). A friend of Gloria Steinem's heard the interview and suggested it as a title for her new magazine. The tape was erased for re-use by volunteers who regarded the Women's Movement as a joke.

The usage of Ms was championed as non-sexist language beginning in the 1970s, especially in business usage, by those who argue that a woman's marital status is of no relevance in such a context. Starting in the 1970s, many women chose to be called Ms for political reasons, and a major feminist magazine is named Ms. Gender-neutral language (gender-generic, gender-inclusive, non-sexist, or sex-neutral language) is language that attempts to refer neither to males nor females when discussing an abstract or hypothetical person whose sex cannot otherwise be determined, as opposed to more traditional language forms, which may use male or female... magazine Ms. ...

The Times (UK) states in its style guide that "Ms is nowadays fully acceptable when a woman wants to be called thus, or when it is not known for certain if she is Mrs or Miss." The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom since 1785, and under its current name since 1788. ...

The Guardian (UK) states in its style guide that: "We use whichever the woman in question prefers: with most women in public life (Ms Booth, Mrs May, Miss Widdecombe) that preference is well known; if you don't know, try to find out; if that proves impossible, use Ms." The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... Cherie Blair QC (born in Bury, Greater Manchester on September 23, 1954), better known as the wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, is also a successful lawyer, in which capacity she uses her maiden name Cherie Booth. ... Theresa May The Right Honourable Theresa Mary May (born in Eastbourne, Sussex on October 1, 1956 as Theresa Mary Brasier) is a British politician, former chairman of the Conservative Party, and Member of Parliament for Maidenhead. ... The Right Honourable Ann Noreen Widdecombe (born October 4, 1947, in Bath, Somerset) is a British Conservative Party politician. ...

Most women style themselves either "Miss" or "Mrs". However, in some circles the title is now standard, for instance in business — and where one may not know or find relevant the marital status of the woman so addressed. The default use of Ms is championed by a number of etiquette writers, including Judith Martin (Miss Manners). Etiquette, also known as decorum, is the code that governs the expectations of social behavior, the conventional norm. ... Judith Martin (born Judith Perlman on September 13, 1938), better known by the pen name Miss Manners, is an American writer and etiquette authority. ...

The title Mrs is still in common use, especially by women who have taken their husband's family name - the vast majority.

However, English school children address female teachers as Miss regardless of marital status.

Several public opponents of "non-sexist language", such as William Safire, were convinced that Ms had earned a place in English by the case of Geraldine A. Ferraro. Ms. Ferraro, a United States vice presidential candidate in 1984, was a married woman who went by her birth surname rather than her husband's (Zaccaro). Safire pointed out that it would be equally incorrect to call her "Miss Ferraro" or "Mrs Ferraro" — or to confuse the reader by calling her "Mrs. Zaccaro"! William L. Safire on NBCs Meet The Press with Tim Russert. ... Geraldine Ferraro Geraldine Anne Ferraro (born August 26, 1935) is a politician from New York, serving in the United States House of Representatives and who received the nomination of the Democratic Party to run for Vice President of the United States. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The rare plural of Ms is Mses. It is not standard to use Ms as a term of direct address; usually Ma'am will be used. Madam or maam is a title for a woman. ...

In other European languages, non-sexist usage in this regard usually amounts to using words more or less equivalent to Mrs. (madame, Fr.; señora, Es.; senhora, Pt.; signora, It.; Frau, De.; bean-uasal, Ga. and Gd.) for both married and unmarried women, and whether they take their husband's name or not. This makes sense as these titles are usually the direct feminine equivalents of the male titles (monsieur, Fr.; señor, Es.; senhor, Pt.; signore, It.; Herr, De.; máistir/tiarna, Ga.; maighstir/tighearna, Gd.), whereas the equivalent of Miss is a diminutive of the female equivalent (mademoiselle, Fr.; señorita, Es.; senhorita, Pt.; signorina, It.; Fräulein, De.; ógbhean-uasal, Ga.; maighdeann-uasal, Gd.). World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of Earth; the term continent here referring to a cultural and political distinction, rather than a physiographic one, thus leading to various perspectives about Europes precise borders. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... Portuguese ( ) is a Romance language, of the Indo-European family. ... Italian ( , or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 70 million people, primarily in Italy. ... German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ... Irish (), a Goidelic language spoken in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Australia, Canada, and the United States[citation needed], is constitutionally recognised as the first official language of Ireland. ... Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ...

External links

• The Times style guide
• The Guardian style guide