mistress is sometimes "kept"i.e., her lover is paying all or some of her living expenses.

Historically the term "mistress" denoted a "kept woman", who was maintained in a comfortable, or even lavish, lifestyle by a wealthy man so that she would be available for his sexual pleasure. Such a woman could move between the roles of a mistress and a courtesan depending on her situation and environment, whereas the word "lover" was used when the illicit female partner was married to another man.

In modern

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