Mrs. (American English) or Mrs (British English) (Standard English pronunciation /ˈmɪsɨz/) is a commonly used English honorific used for women, usually for those who are married and who do not instead use another title (or rank), such as Dr, Professor, Lady, Dame, Baroness, etc. In most Commonwealth countries, a full stop (period) is not used with the title. In the United States and Canada a period is used (see Abbreviation).[citation needed]Mrs originated as a contraction of the honorific Mistress, the feminine of Mister, or Master, which was originally applied to both married and unmarried women. The split into Mrs for married women from Miss (and from the 20th century's Ms) began during the 17th century.It is rare for Mrs to be written in a non-abbreviated form, and the unabbreviated word lacks a standard spelling. In literature it may appear as missus or missis in dialogue. A variant in the works of Thomas Hardy and others is "Mis'ess", reflecting its etymology. Misses has been used but is ambiguous, as this is a commonly-used plural for Miss.The plural of Mrs. is from the French: Mesdames. This may be used as-is in written correspondence, or it may be abbreviated Mmes.