doyen

[ doi-en, doi-uhn; French dwa-yan ]

/ dɔɪˈɛn, ˈdɔɪ ən; French dwaˈyɛ̃ /

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noun, plural doy·ens

[doi-enz, doi-enz; French dwa-yan]. /dɔɪˈɛnz, ˈdɔɪ ɛnz; French dwaˈyɛ̃/.

the senior member, as in age, rank, or experience, of a group, class, profession, etc.

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Origin of doyen

1665–75; <French; Old French deien<Latin decānusdean

Words nearby doyen

doxology, doxorubicin, doxy, doxycycline, doy, doyen, doyenne, Doyle, Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, doyley, D'Oyly Carte

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use doyen in a sentence

The WPP owned GroupM, the largest media buying agency, produces forecasts are often seen as a doyen for the rest of the industry.
As supply chain woes intensify, advertisers reallocate, not cut, media dollars|Seb Joseph|November 11, 2021|Digiday
From dropping out of school at the age of 15 to becoming the doyen of data science at the University of California, Berkeley, Chayes has had quite the career path.
How to fight hate online|Anil Ananthaswamy|October 27, 2021|MIT Technology Review
It is therefore the doyen par excellence, and its rules and orders as carried out in its early days are original and entertaining.
Yachting Vol. 2|Various.
The senior member or doyen of a society is often called the father.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 2|Various

François Verbeek became master workman in 1531, and finally doyen of the craft.
Vanished towers and chimes of Flanders|George Wharton Edwards
There were many duties that fell to the village elder (doyen), especially in troubled times.
Joan of Arc|Lucy Foster Madison
And he held out the fish and Kenneth found himself face to face with the Doyen Carp.
The Magic World|Edith Nesbit

British Dictionary definitions for doyen

doyen

/ (ˈdɔɪən, French dway) /

noun

the senior member of a group, profession, or society

Derived forms of doyen

doyenne (dɔɪˈɛn, French dwajɛn), fem n

Word Origin for doyen

C17: from French, from Late Latin decānus leader of a group of ten; see dean

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

doyen

Origin of doyen

Words nearby doyen

Words related to doyen

How to use doyen in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for doyen

Derived forms of doyen

Word Origin for doyen