From en.wiktionary.org:
[Appendix:Variations of "ms"]
** Translingual
*** Symbol
[mul]
1. [mul] [mega]
** English
[wikipedia]
*** Etymology 1
Found since the 1600s as an abbreviation of [en] (whence also [en] and [en]),
a title which initially did not indicate marital status.[1] Suggestions that
the term be revived began in 1901,[2] and referenced the fact that dialects
such as Southern US English already made no distinction between _Miss_ and
_Mrs_ ([/ˈmɪz/]) in speech. With the founding of _Ms._ magazine in 1971, the
term quickly became widespread as an alternative to _Miss_ and _Mrs._, which
require knowing (and publicizing) the referent's marital status.
**** Alternative forms
- [en] [US]
- [en] [rare]
**** Pronunciation
- [mĭzʹ] , [en]
- [mĭzʹ] , [en]
- [en]
**** Noun
[Mss]
1. [Title used before an adult woman's name or surname, especially when it is not desired or possible to indicate her marital status with _Miss_ or _Mrs_ .]
***** Usage notes
- Usually written as _Ms._ with a full stop in North America, and as _Ms_ without one in the UK. _See the notes in the 吴语: Ms. ._
***** Coordinate terms
[list:titles/en]
***** Derived terms
- [en]
- [en]
***** Translations
[title]
- Afrikaans: [af]
- Chinese:
- Esperanto: [eo]
- French: [fr]
- German: [de]
- Greek: [el] , [el]
- Khmer: [km]
- Macedonian: [mk] , [mk]
- Polish: [pl] , [pl]
- Russian: [ru] , [ru]
- Sorbian:
- Spanish: [es] , [es]
- Swedish: [sv]
[trans-bottom]
**** See also
- 吴语: Ms.
*** Etymology 2
From [en].
**** Alternative forms
- [en]
**** Pronunciation
- [en]
**** Noun
[en]
1. [en]
***** Usage notes
[U:en:plurals of letters]
*** Etymology 3
From a shortening of its name.
**** Noun
[-]
1. [en] [en] .
*** References
References:
[1]. The Grammarphobia Blog (see https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2017/05/ms.html) : in "a 1698 tax list from Shrewsbury, England, [ ... ] the title 'Ms' precedes the names of two others, one unmarried and one whose marital status could not be determined"
[2]. The earliest known proposal is from _吴语: The Republican (Springfield)_ of Springfield, Massachusetts, on November 10, 1901: "There is a void in the English language which, with some diffidence, we undertake to fill. Every one has been put in an embarrassing position by ignorance of the status of some woman. To call a maiden Mrs is only a shade worse than to insult a matron with the inferior title Miss. Yet it is not always easy to know the facts... Now, clearly, what is needed is a more comprehensive term which does homage to the sex without expressing any views as to their domestic situation, and what could be simpler or more logical than the retention of what the two doubtful terms have in common. The abbreviation "Ms" is simple, it is easy to write, and the person concerned can translate it properly according to circumstances. For oral use it might be rendered as "Mizz," which would be a close parallel to the practice long universal in many bucolic regions, where a slurred Mis' does duty for Miss and Mrs alike."
*** Anagrams
- [en]
[en]