don

¹

[ don; Spanish, Italian dawn ]

noun

1. (initial capital letter) Mr.; Sir: a Spanish title prefixed to a man's given name.
2. (in Spanish-speaking countries) a lord or gentleman.
3. (initial capital letter) an Italian title of address, especially for a priest.
4. a person of great importance.
5. (in the English universities) a head, fellow, or tutor of a college.
6. (in the Mafia) a head of a family or syndicate.

Don

²

[ don; Russian dawn ]

noun

1. a river flowing generally S from Tula in the Russian Federation in Europe, to the Sea of Azov. About 1,200 miles (1,930 km) long.
2. a river in NE Scotland, flowing E from Aberdeen county to the North Sea. 62 miles (100 km) long.
3. a river in central England, flowing NE from S Yorkshire to the Humber estuary. 60 miles (97 km) long.
4. a male given name, form of Donald.

don

³

[ don ]

verb (used with object)

, donned, don·ning.

1. to put on, as clothing or equipment:

   He donned his best shirt and tie for the interview.

   Donning goggles and fins, they dived off the raft one by one.

2. to assume or adopt, as a particular attitude, responsibility, etc.:

   The actress is all set to don a new role as first-time director of her own film.

Don

⁴

[ dawn ]

noun

, Welsh Mythology.

1. a goddess, the mother of Gwydion and Arianrod: corresponds to the Irish Danu.

don

⁵

[ dohn ]

conjunction

1. (in prescriptions) donec.

Don

¹

/ dɒn /

noun

1. a river rising in W Russia, southeast of Tula and flowing generally south, to the Sea of Azov: linked by canal to the River Volga. Length: 1870 km (1162 miles)
2. a river in NE Scotland, rising in the Cairngorm Mountains and flowing east to the North Sea. Length: 100 km (62 miles)
3. a river in N central England, rising in S Yorkshire and flowing northeast to the Humber. Length: about 96 km (60 miles)

don

²

/ dɒn /

noun

1. a member of the teaching staff at a university or college, esp at Oxford or Cambridge
2. the head of a student dormitory at certain Canadian universities and colleges
3. a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
4. (in the Mafia) the head of a family

Don

³

/ don; dɒn /

noun

1. a Spanish title equivalent to Mr : placed before a name to indicate respect

don

⁴

/ dɒn /

verb

1. tr to put on (clothing)

Word History and Origins

Origin of don¹

First recorded in 1515–25; from Italian, Spanish, from Latin dominus “lord, master”

Origin of don²

First recorded in 1560–70; contraction of do ¹ + on; doff

Origin of don³

By shortening of Latin donec ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of don¹

C17: ultimately from Latin dominus lord

Origin of don²

C16: via Spanish, from Latin dominus lord; see don ²

Origin of don³

C14: from do ¹+ on ; compare doff

Example Sentences

"I don’t expect anything much, for sure."

From BBC

"I don’t think we can fight with Ferrari or Mercedes," Verstappen said.

From BBC

The message from multiple sources is: don't panic.

From BBC

Don’t get me started on the commodes.

From New York Times

“There are needs of many, many Americans who don’t have the healthcare that they need, seniors who can’t afford their medications. Those are the things that we should get to work on, that I’m sure Sarah would want to get to work on — and this is just off the deep end.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dress
• put on
• wear