Mistress meaning: There are 34 meanings listed

There are 34 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word mistress , 15 of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘ Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. A woman who has an illicit affair — that is, a sexual relationship with someone she's not married to — is also called a mistress. It’s a somewhat old-fashioned word — it’s one-sided, sexist, and often suggests financial support in exchange for sexual favors. In the extramarital sense, mistress is often narrowly taken to mean a woman involved in a committed extramarital relationship (an affair), often supported financially (a kept woman). Mistress (lover ) Madame de Pompadour, a mistress of Louis XV, c. 1756 A mistress or kept woman is a woman who is in a relatively long-term sexual and romantic relationship with someone who is married to a different person. [1][2]