noun
don
don
noun
1
A senior member of the teaching staff at a British university, especially Oxford or Cambridge.
"The elderly don had taught classics at the college for forty years."
2
A leader in an organized crime family, especially in the Mafia.
"The don ran the entire operation from a back room of his restaurant."
verb
1
To put on an item of clothing.
"Firefighters donned their protective gear before entering the building."
How to Use Don
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDepending on context: a university teacher, a mafia boss, or (as a verb) to put clothing on.
Common mistake
The verb sense ("don a coat") is fairly formal/literary — in everyday speech people usually just say "put on."
Common pairings
don a uniform
university don
mafia don
Word Forms
donned past tense, dons plural, dons singular
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The elderly _____ had taught classics at the college for forty years.
Etymology
From Spanish/Italian don, a title of respect, ultimately from Latin dominus, "lord, master."