English
doyen
Doyen comes from French doyen, from Late Latin decānus ‘chief of ten people’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déḱm̥‘ten’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dekemreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdecem‘ten’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdecānus‘chief of ten people’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400deien
- Frenchc. 1600–presentdoyen
- Englishearliest quotation 1991doyen
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déḱm̥‘ten’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dekemreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdecem‘ten’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdecānus‘chief of ten people’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400deien
- Frenchc. 1600–presentdoyen
- Englishearliest quotation 1991doyen
Earliest quotation: 1991, Arif Dirlik, Anarchism in the Chinese Revolution: “Unlike the latter, however, Shifu's seriousness allowed no compromise;…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ ‘ten’
century, hundred, dick, ten, decade, cent, den, sen, diner, hectare, tenfold, deca, denier, dwt, 50 more
through Latin decem ‘ten’
dozen, decimal, dicker, deni, 20 more
through Old French deien
Today it means
noun A commander in charge of ten men.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ / doyen