doyen
1
9.5
- noun
- /dɔɪˈɛn/
- Formal
:
doyen
- About the same time, the doyen of modern ethnobotany, Richard Evans Schultes, published a sumptuous volume on his years exploring the Amazon for medicinal and psychoactive plants: The Healing Forest (with R. Raffauf, 1990).
Examples
-
But if one were to take the view of the late Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani, the doyen of the largest Indian corporation, Reliance Industries, at the end of the day, one needs only two square meals and shelter over one's head.
Blog text (7) -
The doyen of American Unitarianism had asserted that we were godlike insofar as we brought God's attributes to bear in our life and conduct.
Academic text (1992) -
But even there, he makes a more plausible national hero than a political doyen.
Academic text (1990) -
You know, we have the classic case of Diane Abbott, doyen of the left, whose whose son went to a private school.
-
Weber was the doyen of the clinical section of the Royal Society of Medicine until only a few years before he died, in his hundredth year, in 1962.
Academic text (2003) -
The doyen of this scholarly movement is Max H. Fisch, whose first contribution to the Peirce literature came in 1939.
Academic text (1994) -
Once the decision had been made to go ahead with the restoration of Salome, John O'Shea, the doyen of New Zealand filmmakers, was asked to oversee the task.
-
Even Taha Hussein (1889-1973), the doyen of modern Arabic belles lettres, had come to this very same conclusion by 1938.
Academic text (2011) -
The most important work to emerge was a book called Island, first published in 1980 by the doyen of the historians of Chinese America, Him Mark Lai, and two younger scholars, Genny Lim and Judy Yung.
Academic text (1997) -
Dr. Smith is widely regarded as the doyen of cardiology, with decades of experience in the field.
Synonyms
7
4.3
A very senior and respected person in a group or profession
2
9.9
A woman who is the most respected person in a field because of her age or experience
How Respected
Surface Forms
Etymology
Doyen comes from old French and before that from the Latin decanus, which meant 'leader of ten', and it is like the English word dean, the head of a group. So a doyen is the most respected or senior member of a group because of long experience.