|
Another notable use of Miss is as the title of a beauty queen (given that in most pageants it is a requirement that contestants be unmarried), such as Miss America, Miss Universe, or Miss Congeniality.
Miss is a title typically used for an unmarried woman (not entitled to a higher title). It is a contraction of mistress, originating during the 17th Century. Its counterpart, Mrs.,
is used for married women. In the American South, Miss is also traditionally used irrespective of marital status and added to a woman's first name in direct or indirect address, as Miss Ellen from Gone with the Wind or Miss Ellie from Dallas. This form was also used in upper class households in all English-speaking countries by servants
to address or refer to the unmarried ladies of the household, and
occasionally in family-run businesses in the same manner, though more
commonly it was used to address servants if they were addressed by
title at all; such usages are rare today.
 |
