# Origin of Ms.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ms/84996>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 2, 2001, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ms/84996 "2001-10-02T17:08:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Spyderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@Spyderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spyderman)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ms/84996/1 "2001-10-02T17:08:49Z")

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I just read in an article of one of our local alternative papers that “Ms.” as in Miss originally stood for (and to this day may still stand for) **Marxist Sister**.

True or False?

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**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ms/84996/2 "2001-10-02T17:23:51Z")

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False. I’ve never even heard that one before.

_Ms._ is very simply a way to address a woman without regard to marital status. It was originally suggest in the early 1950s as a convenience in writing business letters. (See _The American Heritage Book of English Usage_ entry on the topic [here](http://www.bartleby.com/64/C005/025.html)). The first publications to suggest using _Ms._ were the _Bulletin of the American Business Writing Association_ (1951) and _The Simplified Letter_, issued by the National Office Management Association(1952), hardly bastions of communism. The OED give the etymology of _Ms._ as:

> [@](#):
>
> A ‘compromise’ between MRS. and MISS

Pretty straight foward.

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**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ms/84996/3 "2001-10-02T19:04:00Z")

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From Miss Manners’ Guide for the Turn of the Millenium:

“Miss Manners recognizes that the use of a husband’s name by a wife is slowly becoming obsolete, as is the cumbersome use of separate abbreviations (“Miss” and “Mrs.”) of the ancient respectable title of “Mistress,” rather than one, “Ms.” (which has been documented as far back as the seventeenth century), for all ladies to use with their own full names.”

“…documented as far back as the seventeenth century…”

Modern, ha!

Let’s not forget that Jerry Falwell (or one of them) says that Ms stands for “miserable.” Jerk.

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**Author:** ![Swampwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Swampwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swampwolf)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-ms/84996/4 "2001-10-02T19:10:55Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Spyderman \*  
> **I just read in an article of one of our local alternative papers \<snip\>**

That should answer your question right there. Keep in mind that in a large number (but by no means all) of the alternative newspapers, especially the small, local ones, the majority of “facts” are B.S. propoganda. Unless they carry _The Straight Dope,_ of course, in which case, they have at least half a page of undisputable facts. Other than OVC (Our Venerable Cecil), take everything they say with a large grain of salt. They’re “alternative” for a reason. Real journalism focuses on research.