Mistress (lover)
A mistress 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]
"Side piece" redirects here. For the Jack Harlow song, see Come Home the Kids Miss You.Description[edit]
A mistress is usually in a long-term relationship with a person who is married to someone else and is often referred to as "the other woman". Generally, the relationship is stable and at least semi-permanent, but the couple do not live together openly. The relationship is often, but not always, secret. There is often also the implication that the mistress is sometimes "kept" – i.e., her lover is paying all or some of her living expenses.[3]
Historically the term "mistress" denoted a "kept woman", who was maintained in a comfortable, or even lavish, lifestyle by a wealthy man so that she would be available for his sexual pleasure. Such a woman could move between the roles of a mistress and a courtesan depending on her situation and environment. Whereas the word "lover" was used when the illicit female partner was married to another man.
In modern contexts, the word "mistress" is used primarily to refer to the female lover, married or unmarried, of a person who is married, without the kept woman aspects. In the case of an unmarried person, "mistress" is not usually used. Instead, when the woman is unmarried, it is common to speak of a "girlfriend" or a "partner", and when the woman is married, she is called their "lover".
The term "mistress" was originally used as the neutral feminine counterpart to "mister" or "master". In referring to those of higher social status, it meant the woman married to the owner, or renter, of the house, and was a term of deferential respect.[4]