Definition of mistress noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary



    BrE BrE//ˈmɪstrəs//
    ; NAmE NAmE//ˈmɪstrəs//
    People in schools, Separation
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  1. 1a man’s (usually a married man’s) mistress is a woman that he is having a regular sexual relationship with and who is not his wife The fact that he had a mistress didn’t mean he didn’t love his wife. When do I cease to be your mistress and become your wife? See related entries: Separation
  2. 2(British English, old-fashioned) a female teacher in a school, especially a private school the Biology mistress See related entries: People in schools
  3. 3(in the past) the female head of a house, especially one who employed servants the mistress of the house Lizzie, fetch your mistress her shawl.
  4. 4the female owner of a dog or other animal
  5. 5(formal) a woman who is in a position of authority or control, or who is highly skilled in something She wants to be mistress of her own affairs (= to organize her own life). She is the mistress of plain speech.
  6. compare master
    Word Origin Middle English: from Old French maistresse, from maistre ‘master’.
See the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary entry: mistress