Word
donna
Phoneticsdon·na
US/ˈdɑnə/
UK/dˈɒnɐ/
Definition
n. a title used for an Italian lady, especially one from a noble or high-ranking family.
n. a title of respect for an Italian woman, historically associated with nobility or high social standing.
Examples
“Donna is my manager at the office.”
“The meeting was led by Donna, who has been with the company for over twenty years.”
“While the name Donna has declined in popularity for newborns, it remains a common identifier for women of the baby boomer generation in Western cultures.”
Examples
simple
“Donna is my manager at the office.”
contextual
“The meeting was led by Donna, who has been with the company for over twenty years.”
complex
“While the name Donna has declined in popularity for newborns, it remains a common identifier for women of the baby boomer generation in Western cultures.”
Usage
Usually placed before a first name as a title.
Teaching tip
In modern English, this is mostly encountered in historical contexts, literature, or when discussing Italian opera characters.
Etymology
A 19th-century invention from the Italian noun donna; also interpreted as a feminine form of Donald.
Borrowed from Italian Donna.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/donna