Engagement ring besides diamond?

[Perry Winkle]

Mrs == Mistress

[BigV]

Originally Posted by Perry Winkle

Mrs == Mistress

You misquote your source, Perry Winkle.

Mrs. 1582, abbreviation of mistress (q.v.), originally in all uses of that word. The pl. Mmes. is an abbreviation of Fr. mesdames, pl. of madame. Pronunciation "missis" was considered vulgar at least into 18c. The Mrs. "one's wife" is from 1920.

Emphasis mine, but correct. The last sentence states that the usage of the *phrase* "The Mrs." is from 1920. "The Mrs." is substantially different, implying possession, from "Mrs." which carries no such connotation.