doyenne

[doi-en, dwa-yen]

noun

plural

doyennes 

1. a woman who is the senior member, as in age or rank, of a group, class, profession, etc.

Gender Note

See -enne.

Word History and Origins

Origin of doyenne¹

1900–05; < French, feminine of doyen doyen

Example Sentences

And there will be several books too, one of them co-authored by Helen Garner, a doyenne of modern Australian literature.

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Surely some people will recoil at my likening Meghan’s efforts to those of Queen Martha, doyenne of gracious living and doing everything yourself.

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There are very few recorded interviews with Dame Agatha Christie, the world’s bestselling novelist and generally acknowledged doyenne of crime, for one simple reason: She hated speaking in public.

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In the new, ’60s-set comedy series, Martin plays Robert Diaz, a Korean War veteran who works as the eagle-eyed employee of the show’s exclusive country club and the caretaker of Burnett’s high-society doyenne, Norma Dellacorte.

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Onstage with her group the Mamas & the Papas at the Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967, Cass Elliot, the grand doyenne of the Laurel Canyon scene, bantered with the timing of a vaudeville comedian.

Read more on New York Times

Related Words

• artist 
• authority 
• connoisseur 
• doctor 
• genius 
• guru 
• professional 
• scientist