Words evolve and change with time and can ultimately mean something entirely different than the original meaning. I’m curious how and why the title mistress has taken on a different meanings in the last 300 years. The word/title mistress is originally French and was coined during the 17th century (according to google). It was a title that came with respect for married women, essentially Mrs. is an abbreviation for mistress. So why did the title mistress, which was used to describe a respected married woman then evolve to describe a married man’s extramarital sexual partner? Also, when did it become popular or commonplace to address dominant women as “mistress” in certain social circles? Just bored and curious if anyone wants to way in…
Good questions. I'm curious too, especially with the dichotomy of the affair on the side vs. the dominant woman.