doyenne

[ doi-en; French dwa-yen ]

/ dɔɪˈɛn; French dwaˈyɛn /

a woman who is the senior member, as in age or rank, of a group, class, profession, etc.

Origin of doyenne

1900–05; < French, feminine of doyen doyen

See -enne.

As eight of her novels are republished, we salute a doyenne of literary fiction whose work juxtaposes tragedy and comedy.

The Rediscovered Genius of Muriel Spark |Lucy Scholes |July 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
As Democratic doyenne Pamela Harriman once put it, "he's not entirely housebroken."

A Dominant Diplomatic Force |Peter Beinart |December 14, 2010 |DAILY BEAST
This presents both a new work and pieces chosen from her 40-year career as the doyenne of performance art.

Marina Abramovic's Full-Frontal Art |Anthony Haden-Guest |March 18, 2010 |DAILY BEAST
Not in 2005, when his mother, once the doyenne of Park Avenue, could by nearly all accounts no longer even remember his name.

I Was an Astor Trial Juror |Philip Bump |October 9, 2009 |DAILY BEAST

This week, Liz Smith, the doyenne of gossip columnists, was fired after more than 30 years of writing for New York newspapers.

Long Live the Queen! |Lloyd Grove |February 25, 2009 |DAILY BEAST
Our "Doyenne," Countess Karolyi, was superb—also with magnificent jewels.

Letters of a Diplomat's Wife |Mary King Waddington
When I reached home I changed my dress and drove to the house of the "suffering" doyenne.

The Sunny Side of Diplomatic Life, 1875-1912 |Lillie DeHegermann-Lindencrone
The doyenne stood by the door which led into the Throne Room through which she was to enter.

The Sunny Side of Diplomatic Life, 1875-1912 |Lillie DeHegermann-Lindencrone
This one was a Doyenne du Comice, the most delicious kind of all.

More Trivia |Logan Pearsall Smith
She did not seem in the least surprised at seeing me alone; possibly the doyenne had written her own account of the headache.

The Sunny Side of Diplomatic Life, 1875-1912 |Lillie DeHegermann-Lindencrone