maîtresse en titre

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English

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French maîtresse en titre.

Pronunciation

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  • (UK) IPA(key): /meɪˌtɹɛs ɒn ˈtiːtɹ(ə)/

Noun

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maîtresse en titre (plural maîtresses en titre)

  1. An open or official mistress. [from 19th c.]
    • 1924, Ford Madox Ford, Some Do Not… (Parade's End), Penguin, published 2012, page 87:
      General Campion had assigned her to him as maîtresse en titre.
    • 1991, Princess Michael of Kent, Cupid and the King, Touchstone, published 2005, page 89:
      In view of the dubious role of a maîtresse en titre, no less a personage than a cousin of the monarch was considered suitable as a sponsor.