doyen
Americannoun
-
doyens
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of doyen
1665–75; < French; Old French deien < Latin decānus dean
Explanation
Use the noun doyen to describe the person who has been part of a group the longest, such as Mr. Thomas, the doyen of the accounting department. He is the doyen because everyone else joined after he did. Generally speaking, the doyen isn't just the person who has been there the longest — the doyen is also an expert, perhaps in a specialized area that the others don't know as much about. A doyen is distinguished in a way that earns leadership status, as indicated by the word's origin in the Old French word deien, which comes from the Latin word decanus, or "head of ten monks in a monastery" or "commander of ten soldiers."
Vocabulary lists containing doyen
English Words Derived from French, List 10
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Big Science
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Anyone who comes by, they greet you with 'Good morning,'" said Ben Barka, considered the doyen of Libyan fashion and who once counted Muammar Gaddafi's wife among her clients.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
Sir Paul Smith, the doyen of British fashion, is flailing around in his office with two large rubber chickens and making them squeak them with gusto.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Mr. Dilenschneider, the doyen of American public relations, is the founder of the Dilenschneider Group, a strategic-counseling firm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
The ANC said in a statement: “He was a globally acclaimed playwright, composer and producer. We have lost a true legend, a doyen, and a genuine ambassador of theatre.”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 28, 2023
Lawrence’s position as doyen of the Rad Lab and Teller’s as the indispensable genius of thermonuclear technology made compromise impossible.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Benegal, one of the doyens of Indian cinema, says the film remains very close to his heart.
From BBC ● May 17, 2024
Today, a number of doyens in the recondite field of AI admit they don’t know where all this is headed.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 6, 2023
Putnam’s had kept Bates on after purchasing Grosset and Dunlap, and Bates had come to adore her well-earned senior status as one of the industry’s doyens.
From Salon ● Nov. 9, 2023
The prospect has a certain synergy to it, because both actors have made a home for themselves as doyens of the arthouse film, even if their careers started off in very different places.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 5, 2019
Late field goal dooms Jets: The scheduling doyens at N.F.L. headquarters did not do the Jets any early-season favors.
From New York Times ● Sep. 11, 2016
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
