An abbreviation is a shortened – or abbreviated – word. We abbreviate certain words by removing a few of the letters and putting a period at the end of the shortened word to show that some of the word is missing.
The word mister – derived from the word master – originally referred to the man in charge of a house. Now we use the word mister when referring to any man. We abbreviate the word as Mr.
The word mistress originally referred to the woman married to the master of the house. We abbreviate mistress as Mrs., and this term is now used for any married woman. The word Miss, also an abbreviation for mistress, has traditionally been used to designate an unmarried woman. In modern times, the abbreviation Ms. is often used for both married and unmarried women.
The word doctor is abbreviated as Dr. and the word Saint is abbreviated as St.
We capitalize these abbreviations and use them as part of a name when talking about certain people or when speaking and writing to them. Here are some examples of these abbreviations used as part of a name:
Dr. Smith
Mrs. Johnson
Mr. Walters
St. Peter
An abbreviation is a shortened word. We abbreviate certain words by taking out some letters and putting a period at the end.