mistress

Definition

A woman, specifically one with great control, authority or ownership.

Etymology

From Middle English maistresse, from Old French maistresse (whence French maîtresse), feminine of maistre (“master”). By surface analysis, mist(e)r + -ess.

Example Sentences

• "She was the mistress of the estate-mansion, and owned the horses."
• "At the far end of the houses the head gardener stood waiting for his mistress, and he gave her strips of bass to tie up her nosegay. This she did slowly and laboriously, with knuckly old fingers that shook."
• "games mistress"