dona

¹

[daw-nah]

noun

1. (initial capital letter),  Madam; Lady: a Portuguese title prefixed to a woman's given name.

2. (in Portuguese-speaking countries) a lady or gentlewoman.

doña

²

[daw-nyah]

noun

1. (initial capital letter),  Madam; Lady: a Spanish title prefixed to a woman's given name.

2. (in Spanish-speaking countries) a lady or gentlewoman.

Doña

¹

/ ˈdɒnjə, ˈdoɲa /

noun

1. a Spanish title of address equivalent to Mrs or Madam : placed before a name to indicate respect

Dona

²

/ ˈdõːnə /

noun

1. a Portuguese title of address equivalent to Mrs or Madam : placed before a name to indicate respect

Word History and Origins

Origin of dona¹

1615–25; < Portuguese < Latin domina, feminine of dominus

Origin of dona²

1615–25; < Spanish < Latin domina, feminine of dominus

Word History and Origins

Origin of dona¹

C17: via Spanish, from Latin domina; see _Dona

Origin of dona²

C19: from Latin domina lady, feminine of dominus master

Example Sentences

The fossils were uncovered during a May 2025 excavation in the municipality of Dona Francisca in southern Brazil.

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She’s previously linked up with an array of artists — including La Doña, Rafa Esparza, Yesika Salgado and even country singer Kacey Musgraves, who featured San Cha in a pivotal moment from her 2021 visual album, “Star-Crossed.”

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For Ryan and Amanda Dona, who got married in February, a wedding was a way to signal to their friends and families that they had graduated into a more secure stage of their lives.

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“He pulls it all off pretty good,” says Steve Forney, 40, of Kelso, Wash., a biker who parks his 1979 Harley shovelhead in a special spot at the door that Dona Elliott reserves for motorcycles.

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Dona Elliott is short, soft-spoken and has wavy brown hair, but she has been known to throw unruly drunks out the front door bodily and by herself.

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