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duenna

Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The chief lady in waiting on the Queen of Spain.
  • noun An elderly woman holding a middle station between a governess and a companion, appointed to take charge of the girls of a Spanish family.
  • noun Any elderly woman who is employed to guard a younger; a governess; a chaperon.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The chief lady in waiting on the queen of Spain.
  • noun An elderly lady holding a station between a governess and companion, and appointed to have charge over the younger ladies in a Spanish or a Portuguese family.
  • noun Any old woman who is employed to guard a younger one; a governess.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a chaperon of a young lady, usually an older woman.
  • noun a governess or nanny.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a woman chaperon

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old Spanish duenna or dueña, from Vulgar Latin donna, from Latin domina ("Lady").

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Examples

  • Glencora, Alice thought, should not have allowed the word duenna to have passed her lips in speaking to anyone; but, above all, she should not have done so in the hearing of Mr Palliser's cousin.

    Can You Forgive Her? 1993

  • Glencora, Alice thought, should not have allowed the word duenna to have passed her lips in speaking to any one; but, above all, she should not have done so in the hearing of Mr Palliser's cousin.

    Can You Forgive Her? Anthony Trollope 1848

  • Glencora, Alice thought, should not have allowed the word duenna to have passed her lips in speaking to anyone; but, above all, she should not have done so in the hearing of Mr Palliser’s cousin.

    Can you forgive her? 1864

  • He planted his watchful mo - ther as a kind of duenna over her, when - ever he rode out to pay his complin: ients tQ the lord of Gravenegg, whofe vaffal he was.

    Popular tales of the Germans [selected from J.C.A. Musaeus] tr. [by W. Beckford]. 1791

  • "duenna" would be filled if she attempted to "look after" a bevy of typical American girls, with their independent -- yet confused -- ideas of social requirements in the matter of chaperonage.

    Etiquette Agnes H. Morton

  • Like a duenna snapping open her fan – the car snapped open a pair of elegant wings and soared off into Adventure.

    Chitty Chitty Bang Bang flies again 2011

  • Smith was in many respects an absurd figure, but he created a great romantic legend by falling in love with a 14-year-old Spanish girl named Juana, whose duenna threw herself and her young charge on the Rifle Brigade's mercy amid the ruins of sacked Badajoz in 1812.

    Five Best War Memoirs Max Hastings 2011

  • You will perhaps be surprised to learn that his choice of chaperone … duenna … and may I say, mother?

    The Red Queen Philippa Gregory 2010

  • And The duenna transferred one hand to her bosom, drawing a painful breath.

    Gatlinburg 2010

  • With this assurance, the duenna had allowed herself to be contented, and she had departed, sped on her way by Lady Hester's promise that a hot brick and a soothing drink would be sent up as soon as may be.

    Gatlinburg 2010

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