to be one's own mistress

1 definition found

to be one's own mistress - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Mistress \Mis"tress\, n. [OE. maistress, OF. maistresse, F.
     ma[^i]tresse, LL. magistrissa, for L. magistra, fem. of
     magister. See Master, Mister, and cf. Miss a young
     woman.]
     1. A woman having power, authority, or ownership; a woman who
        exercises authority, is chief, etc.; the female head of a
        family, a school, etc.
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              The late queen's gentlewoman! a knight's daughter!
              To be her mistress' mistress!         --Shak.
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     2. A woman well skilled in anything, or having the mastery
        over it.
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              A letter desires all young wives to make themselves
              mistresses of Wingate's Arithmetic.   --Addison.
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     3. A woman regarded with love and devotion; she who has
        command over one's heart; a beloved object; a sweetheart.
        [Poetic] --Clarendon.
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     4. A woman filling the place, but without the rights, of a
        wife; a woman having an ongoing usually exclusive sexual
        relationship with a man, who may provide her with
        financial support in return; a concubine; a loose woman
        with whom one consorts habitually; as, both his wife and
        his mistress attended his funeral. --Spectator.
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     5. A title of courtesy formerly prefixed to the name of a
        woman, married or unmarried, but now superseded by the
        contracted forms, Mrs., for a married, and Miss, for an
        unmarried, woman.
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              Now Mistress Gilpin (careful soul).   --Cowper.
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     6. A married woman; a wife. [Scot.]
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              Several of the neighboring mistresses had assembled
              to witness the event of this memorable evening.
                                                    --Sir W.
                                                    Scott.
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     7. The old name of the jack at bowls. --Beau. & Fl.
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     To be one's own mistress, to be exempt from control by
        another person.
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