Dictionary.com

duenna

[ doo-en-uh, dyoo- ]
/ duˈɛn ə, dyu- /
Save This Word!

noun
(in Spain and Portugal) an older woman serving as escort or chaperon of a young lady.
a governess.
QUIZ
ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ
There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!
Question 1 of 7
True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

Origin of duenna

1660–70; <Spanish duenna (now dueña) <Latin domina, feminine of dominus master

OTHER WORDS FROM duenna

du·en·na·ship, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use duenna in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for duenna

duenna
/ (djuːˈɛnə) /

noun
(in Spain and Portugal, etc) an elderly woman retained by a family to act as governess and chaperon to young girls

Word Origin for duenna

C17: from Spanish dueña, from Latin domina lady, feminine of dominus master
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
FEEDBACK