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doyen

 - 3 dictionary results

doy⋅en

[doi-en, doi-uhn; Fr. dwa-yan]
–noun, plural doy⋅ens [doi-enz, doi-enz; Fr. dwa-yan] .
the senior member, as in age, rank, or experience, of a group, class, profession, etc.

Origin:
1665–75; < F; OF deien < L decānus dean 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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doy·en   (doi-ěn', doi'ən, dwä-yāɴ')   
n.  A man who is the eldest or senior member of a group.

[Probably French, from Old French doien, from Late Latin decānus, chief of ten; see dean.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

doyen 
1422, from M.Fr. doyen "commander of ten," from O.Fr. deien (see dean). Fem. form doyenne is attested from 1905.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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