Family is an established relationship between two people who are planning a common future and are married. True, on a thorny path a third person may appear, meeting with one of the partners. So what is the meaning of the word "mistress" and why is it called secret passions?
Etymology
If you pay attention to Krylov's explanatory dictionary, the expression, while maintaining the general meaning, is deciphered in several meanings:
- A girl who was in a romantic relationship with a married man. Not necessarily with a man.
- Regular partner who is not a wife but has regular intimate relationships with a married person.
Regardless of the context, the word "mistress" means that the girl is in connection with an outsider who is not her husband. Sometimes they meet in secret. However, it is not uncommon for a wife to catch a partner cheating, making loud scenes, but he does not stop the relationship on the side.
Historical roots
Attitudes towards women with multiple partners enduredmany changes over time, forming the meaning of the word "mistress". Church dogmas strictly forbade debauchery, which made the cheaters feel ashamed of having an intimate relationship in front of themselves first.
In ancient Russia, Yaroslav the Wise decreed a fine for adultery, and it was maintained until the arrival of Peter the Great, who calmly kept several passions in the palace. The tsar's wife, Catherine, did not express a negative attitude towards unknown women in her husband's chambers, despite public condemnation.
Ancient Rome was loyal to open betrayals, providing state support to those who decided to live with a second woman. There was a whole institution of cohabitation, called "concubinage".
Speech usage
The reasons for cheating are always different. It can be regular quarrels, scandals, monotony, stress, workload, cool feelings, or the usual search for something new.
Currently, the emotional coloring of the word cannot be called negative. Some adhere to strict morality, preferring to believe that a person should love the partner chosen for life until the end of his days. Other couples, on the contrary, believe that infidelity does not destroy marriage, but only strengthens it. For example, modern Swedish families, where three partners live together, do not hide the intimate and romantic connection from each other.
So, a girl who regularly meets a married person can be called a mistress. At the same time, she may havethe status of a wife, supporting only her own search for variety and vivid emotional impressions.
