: a person considered to be knowledgeable or uniquely skilled as a result of long experience in some field of endeavor
2
: the oldest example of a category
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English picked up doyen from French in the 17th century. The French word in turn comes, via the Old French deien, from the Late Latin word decanus, which itself comes from the Greek dekanos, meaning "chief of ten." A doyen can be a leader of a group, such as a diplomatic corps. In this regard, the word has been used to refer to someone who is specifically or tacitly allowed to speak for that group. More broadly, a doyen refers to a highly skilled and respected veteran of a particular field. The feminine form of doyen is doyenne.
He is considered the doyen of political journalists. considered the doyen of American art critics
Recent Examples on the WebSurely a follow-up story would soon appear, explaining that Cruz was not a mere coach but the doyen of the LD national circuit, and that its mores had played into his predation. Tess Mcnulty, Harper’s Magazine , 17 Aug. 2022 On the East Coast, the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn., is still the doyen of the field. Charles Mcnulty, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2022 But there’s a reason Bob Cousy, the doyen of point guards, doubted him. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 21 June 2022 Only under George Balanchine, the doyen of American ballet, did sylphlike figures become the norm. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 9 June 2022 That’s exactly what Charles Onyango-Obbo, the doyen of east African journalism, Ugandan by birth, and pan-African by work—his footprints are to be found everywhere, from Nairobi to Johannesburg—seeks to redress. Peter Kimani, Quartz, 8 Jan. 2022 Even after a strong post-pandemic recovery, shares such as GM and VW are very lowly rated relative to EV specialists, which offer investors huge growth potential, as well as to luxury doyen Ferrari. Stephen Wilmot, WSJ, 23 Dec. 2021 For the eternally young doyen of the Broadway musical, even revivals were an opportunity for trying something new.Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2021 Last and dandiest is Roebuck Wright (Jeffrey Wright), a doyen of the Tastes and Smells department, who is hot on the scent of cuisine gendarmique. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
French, from Old French deien, from Late Latin decanus dean — more at dean