Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

doyen

/ˈdɔɪ.ən/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.25 in modern English

Syllables
doyen
IPA
/ˈdɔɪ.ən/
9
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A commander in charge of ten men.

Obsolete

noun

The senior, or eldest male member of a group.

noun

A leading light, or exemplar of a particular practice or movement.

Colloquial

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from French doyen, from Late Latin decānus, from Latin decem. Compare the doublet dean.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce doyen?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdɔɪ.ən/.
What does doyen mean?
A commander in charge of ten men.
Where does doyen come from?
It is traced to French.

How to pronounce doyen

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “doyen”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈdɔɪ.ən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “doyen”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “doyen” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.