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queen
[ kween ]
/ kwin /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
verb (used without object)
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
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Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of queen
First recorded before 900; Middle English quene, quen, Old English cwēn “woman, queen”; cognate with Old Saxon quān, Old Norse kvān, Gothic qēns, from unattested Germanic kwēni-; akin to Old Irish ben, Greek gynḗ woman, Russian zhená, Sanskrit jani “wife”
usage note for queen
The term queen is usually used with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting when in reference to a gay man, especially one considered to be effeminate or flamboyant. However, within the gay community, it is sometimes used in a friendly, teasing, or facetious manner, and can also be a positive term of self-reference.
OTHER WORDS FROM queen
queen·less, adjectivequeen·like, adjectiveun·der·queen, nounWords nearby queen
Other definitions for queen (2 of 2)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use queen in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for queen (1 of 2)
queen
/ (kwiːn) /
noun
verb
Word Origin for queen
Old English cwēn; related to Old Saxon quān wife, Old Norse kvæn, Gothic qēns wife
British Dictionary definitions for queen (2 of 2)
Queen
/ (kwiːn) /
noun
Ellery (ˈɛlərɪ). pseudonym of Frederic Dannay (1905–82) and Manfred B. Lee (1905–71), US co-authors of detective novels featuring a sleuth also called Ellery Queen
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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