Master and Mistress - Pejoration with a touch of sexism 01

Meaning of words change in time, some positively, some negatively. This change in the meaning, I consider, is the reflection of how people think about the world, and language is what we use to describe and understand the world we live in.

I am a fairly neutral person and do not take any extreme position in ideas and philosophy, but I do get a little sensitive with words that talk about women in a demeaning way.

Pejoration is a downgrading of the meaning of a word. The word was once neutral in meaning, but along the history, it went down the hill. I feel that words referring to women tend to undergo pejoration.


'Master' and 'Mistress'

'Master' means, since the time of Old English, a teacher, and later becomes to mean a person having control or authority. Around 14th century, a scholar degree, and in 16th century, the head of the household.

'Mistress' is the female equivalent to 'master'. In 14th century it meant a female home teacher, a governess, but that definition is now obsolete. It also means a woman having control or authority, who is the head of the household, same as 'master'. It was also used as an honorific to address a gentlewoman, and up to 18th century, to address an unmarried lady.

Around 15th century, it started to mean 'a woman who has a continuing extramarital sexual relationship with a man'.

Now how did that come into the definition? I imagine from the original meaning the word something like this -  Around medieval times. A mistress works as a home teacher in a wealthy family. It does not matter which seduces first, but somehow the master of the house and the mistress become very intimate, and secretly start a relationship. Because she is the governess, she works in the family until the child grows up, fairly many years, meaning the extramarital relationship last for years.

Today, this meaning of 'adulteress' seems to be the one that first comes into a lot of people's minds when they hear the word. The definition of 'master' is unstained.

Extramarital relationship is possible with two people. Why did only 'mistress' undergo this pejoration, and not the male equivalent? ...Sexism!

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The Kenkyusha Dictionary of English Etymology