Where does “doyenne” come from?
doyenne (English) comes from French doyenne, from French doyen, from Old French deien, from Latin decānus, from Latin decem, from Latin -nus, from Proto-Italic -nos, from Proto-Indo-European -nós — Creates verbal adjectives from roots.
doyenne (English): A female doyen; The senior or eldest female...
Definitions
- A female doyen; The senior or eldest female...
Ancestry of “doyenne”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | doyenne | The oldest woman; A female dean at an educational... |
| 2 | French | doyen | dean; senior member, doyen |
| 3 | Old French | deien | — |
| 4 | Latin | decānus | chief of ten people (in various contexts) |
| 5 | Latin | decem | ten; 10 |
| 6 | Latin | -nus | -an |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -nos | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -nós | Creates verbal adjectives from roots |