Plural of mistress; can mean women in positions of authority or women in secret romantic relationships with married men.
From Old French 'maistresse,' the feminine form of 'master,' derived from Latin 'magister.' Originally just meant a female teacher or person in charge, the romantic meaning developed in medieval times.
The word 'mistress' shows how language reflects society's double standards—a man's lover is called a 'mistress,' but there's no equivalent word when it's a woman's lover, revealing historical gender bias baked into English.
Mistress carries gendered moral judgment: woman with sexual/romantic agency labeled 'mistress' (adulteress, immoral), while male equivalent 'lover' carries no equivalent stigma. Double standard embedded in vocabulary.
If denoting expertise/authority, use 'master/mistress' equally or replace with 'expert' (gender-neutral). If denoting relationship, use neutral terms: 'partner,' 'lover,' or describe relationship type.
["expert","partner","lover","skilled practitioner"]
Historically, women excelled as mistresses of estates and craft (Mistress of the House), yet language erased this authority and criminalized female sexuality.
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