Mrs.
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Missus (originally Mistress) |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Writing & Everyday, Medical |
| Also written | mRS |
Mrs. has two meanings. It stands for Missus (originally Mistress) (title and honorific) or Modified Rankin Scale (neurology).
Meanings of Mrs. at a glance
| # | Mrs. stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Missus (originally Mistress) | Writing & Everyday › Title and Honorific |
| 2 | Modified Rankin Scale | Medical › Neurology |
1. Missus (originally Mistress)
Writing & Everyday · Title and Honorific Abbreviations
Traditional courtesy title for a married or widowed woman, placed before her surname or full name. Formal invitations and social correspondence once combined it with the husband's name, as in Mrs. John Smith.
Example: Mrs. Okafor has taught fourth grade at Lincoln Elementary for twenty-two years.
Mrs. began as an abbreviation of "mistress," which for centuries marked a woman's social standing rather than whether she was married; the purely marital sense settled in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is pronounced "MISS-iz." British English writes Mrs without a period, and the plural is Mmes. Many women prefer Ms. in professional settings, and most forms now offer it.
2. Modified Rankin Scale (mRS)
Medical · Neurology Abbreviations
Seven-point scale measuring disability or dependence after stroke, from 0 (no symptoms) through 3 (moderate disability, able to walk unassisted) and 5 (bedridden, needing constant care) to 6 (death). It is the most common primary outcome measure in stroke trials.
Example: Discharged to rehab with mRS 4; 90-day follow-up mRS 2.
Scottish physician John Rankin introduced the original scale in 1957, and it was modified in the late 1980s. An outcome of mRS 0 to 2 is often called functional independence. Prestroke mRS is recorded at admission because patients with major baseline disability may be less suitable for aggressive treatment. A lowercase m distinguishes it from other uses of RS.
Related abbreviations
More title and honorific abbreviations
- Mlle. – Mademoiselle
- Mme. – Madame
- Mmes. – Mesdames (plural of Mrs. or Madame)
- Mr. – Mister
- Ms. – Ms. (title for a woman regardless of marital status)
- Mx. – Mx. (gender-neutral courtesy title)
- OBE – Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- Ofc. – Officer
See all 54 title and honorific abbreviations →
More neurology abbreviations
- MND – Motor neuron disease
- MoCA – Montreal Cognitive Assessment
- MOGAD – Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease
- MOH – Medication overuse headache
- MSA – Multiple system atrophy
- MSLT – Multiple sleep latency test
- MT – Mechanical thrombectomy
- mTBI – Mild traumatic brain injury
See all 131 neurology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.