don
don Lexical Profile
don Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To put on an item of clothing.
"She prepared for the winter storm by donning her heaviest wool coat and gloves."
• noun
A powerful leader or boss of an organized crime syndicate, particularly in the Mafia.
"The FBI had been trying to build a case against the notorious don for decades."
British A university teacher or fellow, especially at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
"The history don spent his evenings reading dusty manuscripts in the college library."
A Spanish, Portuguese, or Italian title of respect used before a gentleman's name.
"He was introduced to Don Diego at the embassy reception."
• Rhymes for don
Word Origin & Etymology
The verb comes from a Middle English contraction of the phrase 'do on' (to put on). The noun derives from the Spanish 'don', which ultimately traces back to the Latin 'dominus' (master).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.