duenna.

A woman appointed to supervise or accompany a younger woman, especially in historical Spanish contexts.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a watchful duenna
• the girl’s duenna

On the page

The duenna remained beside the door throughout the interview.

She persuaded her duenna to wait in the gallery, but not to leave the house.

Usage notes

Primary category: gothic. Forms: Singular duenna; plural duennas. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.