1523, from Sp. or Port. don, title of respect, from L. dominus "lord, master." The university sense is c.1660, originally student slang; underworld sense is 1952, from It. don, from L.L. domnus, from L. dominus (see domain). Don Juan "philanderer" is from the legendary dissolute Sp. nobleman dramatized by Gabriel Tellez in "Convivado de Piedra" and popularized in Eng. by Lord Byron. The fem. form is Dona (Sp./Port.), Donna (It.).
early 14c. contraction of do on (see doff). "After 1650 retained in popular use only in north. dialect; as a literary archaism it has become very frequent in 19th c." [OED].
teacher at a university or college (especially at Cambridge or Oxford) [syn: preceptor]
3.
the head of an organized crime family
4.
Celtic goddess; mother of Gwydion and Arianrhod; corresponds to Irish Danu
5.
a European river in southwestern Russia; flows into the Sea of Azov
6.
a Spanish courtesy title or form of address for men that is prefixed to the forename; "Don Roberto"
verb
1.
put clothing on one's body; "What should I wear today?"; "He put on his best suit for the wedding"; "The princess donned a long blue dress"; "The queen assumed the stately robes"; "He got into his jeans" [syn: wear]
Dame\ (d[=a]m), n. [F. dame, LL. domna, fr. L. domina mistress, lady, fem. of dominus master, ruler, lord; akin to domare to tame, subdue. See Tame, and cf. Dam a mother, Dan, Danger, Dungeon, Dominie, Don, n., Duenna.]1. A mistress of a family, who is a lady; a woman in authority; especially, a lady. Then shall these lords do vex me half so much, As that proud dame, the lord protector's wife. --Shak. 2. The mistress of a family in common life, or the mistress of a common school; as, a dame's school. In the dame's classes at the village school. --Emerson. 3. A woman in general, esp. an elderly woman. 4. A mother; -- applied to human beings and quadrupeds. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
Dom\, n. [Pg. See Don.]1. A title anciently given to the pope, and later to other church dignitaries and some monastic orders. See Don, and Dan. 2. In Portugal and Brazil, the title given to a member of the higher classes.
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