doyenne
noun/dɔɪˈen/
/dɔɪˈen/
- the most respected or most experienced woman member of a group or profession
- Martha Graham, the doyenne of American modern dance
Word Originmid 19th cent.: from French, feminine of doyen from Old French deien, from late Latin decanus ‘chief of a group of ten’, from decem ‘ten’.Definitions on the go
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doyenne