donna

See also: Donna, dónna, dònna, and Dønna

English

WOTD – 23 November 2013, 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 (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒnə, -ɑnə

Noun

donna (plural donnas)

1. A lady, especially a noblewoman; the title given to a lady in Italy.

   Synonyms: lady, madam, mistress, noblewoman

   Coordinate term: don

   • 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.

Related terms

• donna angelica

Translations

lady, madam, title given to a lady in Italy

• Italian: donna (it) f
• Swedish: donna (sv)

Anagrams

• Nando, Andon, Danno, andon, nonda, nonad

Finnish

Etymology

From Swedish donna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdonːɑ/, [ˈdo̞nːɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -onːɑ
• Syllabification^(key): don‧na
• Hyphenation^(key): don‧na

Noun

donna (slang)

1. 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 donnain rare
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
abessive		donnatta	donnitta
instructive		—	donnin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of donna (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative donnani donnani accusative nom. donnani donnani gen. donnani genitive donnani donnieni donnaini rare partitive donnaani donniani inessive donnassani donnissani elative donnastani donnistani illative donnaani donniini adessive donnallani donnillani ablative donnaltani donniltani allative donnalleni donnilleni essive donnanani donninani translative donnakseni donnikseni abessive donnattani donnittani instructive — — comitative — donnineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative donnasi donnasi accusative nom. donnasi donnasi gen. donnasi genitive donnasi donniesi donnaisi rare partitive donnaasi donniasi inessive donnassasi donnissasi elative donnastasi donnistasi illative donnaasi donniisi adessive donnallasi donnillasi ablative donnaltasi donniltasi allative donnallesi donnillesi essive donnanasi donninasi translative donnaksesi donniksesi abessive donnattasi donnittasi instructive — — comitative — donninesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative donnamme donnamme accusative nom. donnamme donnamme gen. donnamme genitive donnamme donniemme donnaimme rare partitive donnaamme donniamme inessive donnassamme donnissamme elative donnastamme donnistamme illative donnaamme donniimme adessive donnallamme donnillamme ablative donnaltamme donniltamme allative donnallemme donnillemme essive donnanamme donninamme translative donnaksemme donniksemme abessive donnattamme donnittamme instructive — — comitative — donninemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative donnanne donnanne accusative nom. donnanne donnanne gen. donnanne genitive donnanne donnienne donnainne rare partitive donnaanne donnianne inessive donnassanne donnissanne elative donnastanne donnistanne illative donnaanne donniinne adessive donnallanne donnillanne ablative donnaltanne donniltanne allative donnallenne donnillenne essive donnananne donninanne translative donnaksenne donniksenne abessive donnattanne donnittanne instructive — — comitative — donninenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative donnansa donnansa accusative nom. donnansa donnansa gen. donnansa genitive donnansa donniensa donnainsa rare partitive donnaansa donniaan donniansa inessive donnassaan donnassansa donnissaan donnissansa elative donnastaan donnastansa donnistaan donnistansa illative donnaansa donniinsa adessive donnallaan donnallansa donnillaan donnillansa ablative donnaltaan donnaltansa donniltaan donniltansa allative donnalleen donnallensa donnilleen donnillensa essive donnanaan donnanansa donninaan donninansa translative donnakseen donnaksensa donnikseen donniksensa abessive donnattaan donnattansa donnittaan donnittansa instructive — — comitative — donnineen donninensa

Further reading

• “donna”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

Anagrams

• nadon

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɔ.na/

• Audio (France (Brétigny-sur-Orge)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Verb

donna

1. third-person singular past historic of donner

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd̪ˠɔn̪ˠə/, /ˈd̪ˠʊn̪ˠə/

Adjective

donna

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

Mutation

Mutated forms of donna

radical	lenition	eclipsis
donna	dhonna	ndonna

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

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. Cognate with Sicilian donna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɔn.na/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔnna
• Hyphenation: dòn‧na

Noun

donna f (plural donne, diminutive (sometimes derogatory or endearing) donnétta; donnìna or donnìno m (also, “house-husband”), augmentative donnóna or donnóne m, pejorative donnàccia (“bad-tempered woman or woman of bad habits”), derogatory donnàccola (“common womman; gossip”) or donnùcola (“poor woman in bad conditions”) or donnàcchera (“filthy or cowardly woman”), diminutive-derogatory donnùccia or donnicciòla (also, “weak or gossipy man”))

1. woman

   Antonyms: ragazza, uomo

2. (archaic) lady

   Synonyms: signora, dama

3. wife

   Synonym: moglie

4. (card games, chess) queen

   Synonym: regina

5. actress

   Synonym: attrice

Related terms

• donna di cuori
• donna di fiori
• donna di picche
• donna di quadri
• donnacchera
• 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

Japanese

Romanization

donna

1. Rōmaji transcription of どんな

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.

Old French

Noun

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

1. (Anglo-Norman) lady

Sicilian

Alternative forms

• ronna (rhoticized)

Etymology

From Late Latin domna, shortened variant of Latin domina (“lady, mistress of an estate or household”), from dominus (“master”), from domus (“home”). Cognate with Italian donna, French dame, Portuguese dona, Spanish donna and dueña.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɔn.na/ (standard)
• IPA^(key): /ˈɾɔn.na/ (rhoticized)
• Hyphenation: dòn‧na

Noun

donna f (plural donni)

1. (honorific) A woman, specifically one with great control, authority or ownership; a mistress

   Synonyms: gna, massara, mastra, matruna

2. (card games) queen

   Synonym: fìmmina

3. (archaic, noble title) lady

   Synonyms: signura, madama, marchisa

4. (non common) woman

   Synonym: fìmmina

   Antonym: omu

5. (non common, by extension) wife

   Synonym: mugghieri

Coordinate terms

• (masculine form) don

Derived terms

• donna di coppi
• donna di dinari
• donna di mazzi
• donna di oru
• donna di spati
• donna di vastuna
• madonna
• prima donna

Related terms

• Cavadonna
• Donnafugata
• Donnalucata
• Mànniri-donni

Descendants

• → Italian: donna (regional)

See also

• picciriḍḍa
• fìmmina
• carusa
• signura

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian donna. Attested since 1841.

Noun

donna c

1. (colloquial, often ironic or somewhat derogatory) a (younger) woman

   Nisse kom på besök med sin nya donna

   Nisse dropped by with his new girlfriend

2. a donna

Declension

Declension of donna

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	donna	donnas
	definite	donnan	donnans
plural	indefinite	donnor	donnors
	definite	donnorna	donnornas

References

• donna in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• donna in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• donna in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Yilan Creole

Etymology

Derived from Japanese どんな (“like what?”)

Pronoun

donna

1. (~ no) what kind of...; what is ... like
2. how

   Synonyms: donnasite, donnate, donnnani

References

• Chien Yuehchen (2023), “Yilan Creole”, in Handbook of Formosan Languages Online: The Indigenous Languages of Taiwan‎^[2], number 44, →ISSN
• 真田信治 [Shinji Sanada] (2015), “宜蘭クレオールにおけるsound substitutionについて [On the sound substitution of Yilan Creole]”, in 奈良大学紀要 [Memoirs of Nara University]‎^[3] (in Japanese), number 43
• Chien Yuehchen (2019), “日本語を上層とする 宜蘭クレオールの指示詞”, in 社会言語科学 [The Japanese Journal of Language in Society]‎^[4], volume 21, number 2, pages 50-65