donna

See also: Donna, dónna, dònna, and Dønna

English

WOTD – 23 November 2014

Etymology

From Italian donna. Doublet of dame and domina.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdɒn.ə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈdɑ.nə/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

donna (plural donnas)

1. A lady, especially a noblewoman; the title given to a lady in Italy.
   • 1837, Thomas Tod Stoddart, Angling reminiscences, page 65:

     What are the songs of Italy, sung as they are by the donnas of the scenic board, but a replication of squalls and quavers, infinitely more annoying than the gibberish of crones […]

   • 2005, Burton D. Fisher, Mozart's Don Giovanni, page 22:

     In Don Giovanni's three female characters, the diverse spectrum of womanhood is rendered complete: the great opera seria character of the avenging Donna Anna, the sentimental and spurned Donna Elvira, and the crafty but sympathetic peasant girl Zerlina.

   Synonyms: lady, madam, mistress, noblewoman

   Coordinate term: don

Translations

lady, madam, title given to a lady in Italy

• Italian: donna (it) f

• Swedish: donna (sv)

Anagrams

• Danno, Nando, nonad, nonda

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Finnish

Noun

donna

1. (slang) woman

Declension

Inflection of donna (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
nominative		donna	donnat
genitive		donnan	donnien
partitive		donnaa	donnia
illative		donnaan	donniin
		singular	plural
nominative		donna	donnat
accusative	nom.	donna	donnat
	gen.	donnan
genitive		donnan	donnien donnainrare
partitive		donnaa	donnia
inessive		donnassa	donnissa
elative		donnasta	donnista
illative		donnaan	donniin
adessive		donnalla	donnilla
ablative		donnalta	donnilta
allative		donnalle	donnille
essive		donnana	donnina
translative		donnaksi	donniksi
instructive		—	donnin
abessive		donnatta	donnitta
comitative		—	donnineen

Possessive forms of donna (type koira)
possessor	singular	plural
1st person	donnani	donnamme
2nd person	donnasi	donnanne
3rd person	donnansa

Anagrams

• nadon

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɔ.na/

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

donna

1. third-person singular past historic of donner

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Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd̪ˠɔn̪ˠə/, /ˈd̪ˠʊn̪ˠə/

Adjective

donna

1. nominative/vocative/dative/strong genitive plural of donn (“brown”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
donna	dhonna	ndonna
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

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Italian

Etymology

From Late Latin domna, shortened variant of Latin domina (“lady, mistress of an estate or household”), from dominus (“master”), from domus (“home”). Doublet of dama.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɔn.na/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔnna
• Hyphenation: dòn‧na

Noun

donna f (plural donne)

1. woman

   Antonyms: ragazza, uomo

2. (archaic) lady

   Synonyms: signora, dama

3. wife

   Synonym: moglie

4. (card games) queen

   Synonym: regina

5. actress

   Synonym: attrice

Related terms

• donnacchera
• donna di cuori
• donna di fiori
• donna di picche
• donna di quadri
• donnaiuolo
• donnesco
• donnetta
• donnicciuola
• donnina
• gentildonna
• madonna
• prima donna

 

Descendants

• → English: donna
• → Swedish: donna

See also

Playing cards in Italian · carte da gioco (layout · text)
asso	due	tre	quattro	cinque	sei	sette
otto	nove	dieci	fante	donna, regina	re	jolly, joker, matta

• bambina
• femmina
• ragazza
• signora

Anagrams

• Nando, danno, dannò

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Japanese

Romanization

donna

1. Rōmaji transcription of どんな

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

donna f (definite singular donnaa, indefinite plural donnaer, definite plural donnaene)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

• “donna” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Old French

Noun

donna ? (oblique plural donnas, nominative singular donna, nominative plural donnas)

1. (Anglo-Norman) lady