doyenne
noun /dɔɪˈen/
/dɔɪˈen/
- the most respected or most experienced woman member of a group or profession
- Martha Graham, the doyenne of American modern dance
Word Originmid 19th cent.: from French, feminine of doyen from Old French deien, from late Latin decanus ‘chief of a group of ten’, from decem ‘ten’.