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doyen

[doi-en, doi-uh n; French dwa-yan]
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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.

RELATED WORDS

head, ruler, chief, commander, director, manager, officer, connoisseur, guru, doctor, authority, genius, scientist, professional, artist, elder, pensioner, senior, professor, administrator

Nearby words

  1. doxology,
  2. doxorubicin,
  3. doxy,
  4. doxycycline,
  5. doy,
  6. doyenne,
  7. doyennes,
  8. doyens,
  9. doyle,
  10. doyle, sir arthur conan

Origin of doyen

1665–75; < French; Old French deien < Latin decānus dean1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for doyen

British Dictionary definitions for doyen

doyen

noun

the senior member of a group, profession, or society
Derived Formsdoyenne (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
Word Origin and History for doyen

early 15c., from Middle French doyen "commander of ten," from Old French deien (see dean).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper