Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
dictionary thesaurus view recents

duenna

noun
Save Word
du·​en·​na | \ dü-ˈe-nə How to pronounce duenna (audio) , dyü- \

Definition of duenna

1 : an elderly woman serving as governess and companion to the younger ladies in a Spanish or a Portuguese family
2 : chaperone

Other Words from duenna

duennaship \ dü-​ˈe-​nə-​ˌship How to pronounce duennaship (audio) , dyü-​ \ noun

First Known Use of duenna

1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for duenna

Spanish dueña, from Latin domina mistress — more at dame

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about duenna

Time Traveler for duenna

Time Traveler

The first known use of duenna was in 1623

See more words from the same year

Statistics for duenna

Cite this Entry

“Duenna.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duenna. Accessed 25 May. 2020.

More from Merriam-Webster on duenna

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for duenna

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with duenna

Comments on duenna

What made you want to look up duenna? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

instigate

Listen to the pronunciation of instigate

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Obscure Shapes

  • a pile of three dimensional shapes in green
  • Something that is ooid is shaped like:
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Bee Cubed

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games