doris
n. countablen. a woman, especially a girlfriend or wife. It is a very old-fashioned and casual way to talk about a woman, mostly used in British English.
n. a woman, girlfriend, or wife. Informal and dated British slang; often carries a mildly dismissive or humorous tone depending on the social context.
He is bringing his doris to the party tonight.
The old man at the pub often joked about having to check with his doris before staying for another drink.
From Ancient Greek Δωρίς (Dōrís). Sense 7 is owing to similarity to Boris.
* Shortened Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dubhruis, from earlier Ó Dubhrosa, from Ó (“descendant of”) + Dubhros, a name from dubh (“black”) + ros (“wood”). * A habitational French surname from d' (“of”) + Oris-en-Rattier (“a commune in Isère, France”).
From the name of famous film star Doris Day.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Primarily found in British English; informal and dated register.
Last updated May 3, 2026