Mistress vs. Madam — What's the Difference?

A woman who has a continuing sexual relationship with a man who is married to someone else.

Madam (), or madame ( or ), is a polite and formal form of address for women, often contracted to ma'am (pronounced in American English and in British English). The term derives from the French madame (French pronunciation: ​[maˈdam]); in French, ma dame literally means "my lady".

A woman in a position of authority, control, or ownership, as the head of a household

Pl. Mes·dames (mā-dăm, -däm) Used formerly as a courtesy title before a woman's given name but now used only before a surname or title indicating rank or office

A woman who owns or keeps an animal

Used as a salutation in a letter

A woman who owns a slave.

Madam Used as a form of polite address for a woman

A woman with ultimate control over something

Madam The mistress of a household.

A nation or country that has supremacy over others

Madam A woman who manages a brothel.

Something personified as female that directs or reigns

A polite form of address for a woman or lady.

A woman who has mastered a skill or branch of learning

The mistress of a household.

Mistress Used formerly as a courtesy title when speaking to or of a woman.

(colloquial) A conceited or quarrelsome girl.

Chiefly British A woman schoolteacher.

(slang) A woman who runs a brothel, particularly one that specializes in finding prostitutes for rich and important clients.

A woman, specifically one with great control, authority or ownership

An irritable, conceited, or contemptous woman. (used as a general term of abuse).

A female teacher

(transitive) To address as "madam".

The other woman in an extramarital relationship, generally including sexual relations

A gentlewoman; - an appellation or courteous form of address given to a lady, especially an elderly or a married lady; - much used in the address, at the beginning of a letter, to a woman. The corresponding word in addressing a man is Sir; often abbreviated ma'am when used as a term of address.

A dominatrix

The woman who is in charge of a household.

A woman well skilled in anything, or having the mastery over it

The woman who is in charge of a brothel.

A woman regarded with love and devotion; a sweetheart

A woman of refinement;

(Scotland) A married woman; a wife

A woman who runs a house of prostitution

(obsolete) The jack in the game of bowls

A female companion to a master a man with control, authority or ownership

Female equivalent of master

Female equivalent of mister

Of a woman: to master; to learn or develop to a high degree of proficiency.

(intransitive) To act or take the role of a mistress.

A woman having power, authority, or ownership; a woman who exercises authority, is chief, etc.; the female head of a family, a school, etc.

A woman well skilled in anything, or having the mastery over it.

A woman regarded with love and devotion; she who has command over one's heart; a beloved object; a sweetheart.

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.

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.

A married woman; a wife.

The old name of the jack at bowls.

To wait upon a mistress; to be courting.

An adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man

A woman schoolteacher (especially one regarded as strict)

A woman master who directs the work of others