Don (honorific)
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Don (usually preceded in English by the), derived from Latin Dominus, is a Spanish (pron. IPA: [d̪on]) and Portuguese honorific (generally Dom).
Usually a mark of high esteem for a distinguished Christian hidalgo or fidalgo, that is, a nobleman.
Its abbreviation, particularly in Portuguese, is "D." It is still used in reference to priests, like the French Dom. The use is roughly comparable to the style The Honourable of British custom, but closer to Lord or Lady, although the analogy is a loose one, at best. The female version is Doña (Spanish, pron. IPA: ['d̪o.ɲa]) and Dona (Portuguese, pron. IPA: ['do.nɐ]) abbreviated "Dª".
Don/Dom or Doña/Dona is attached to a person's given name. For example, if Señor Diego de la Vega is to be addressed as a don, then the correct form of address would not be "Don de la Vega", but "Don Diego".
At Oxford and Cambridge universities, a senior professor is often referred to as a Don.
In North America, Don is sometimes used as an honorific for a Mafia crime boss. This term is also used by figures in Mexican organized crime.
In Spain the title has come to refer to a graduate of High School.
In Catalan, the equivalent forms are "en" and "na".
See also
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