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n. 1. Don (also dōn) Used as a courtesy title before the name of a man in a Spanish-speaking area. 2. Chiefly British a. A head, tutor, or fellow at a college of Oxford or Cambridge. b. A college or university professor. 3. The leader of an organized-crime family. 4. Archaic An important personage. [Spanish dialectal and Italian, both from Latin dominus, lord; see dem- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
tr.v. donned, don·ning, dons 1. To put on (clothing or an ornament, for example): donned long gloves for the costume party; don clown make-up for the performance. 2. To assume or take on: donned the air of the injured party. [Middle English, contraction of do on, to put on; see DO1.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
