I realize this isn’t exactly a Catholic question, but I hope someone can help me figure out why the title “Missus” is abbreviated “Mrs.” Why is there an R in there?
The R is there because “Mrs.” originally was an abbreviation for “Mistress,” the feminine form of the courtesy title, “Mister.” Once the word mistress took on unchaste connotations inappropriate for a married woman, society began to the slur the pronunciation into “Missus” when using a married woman’s courtesy title.
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