# don

> English word · Noun · IPA /dɒn/ · frequency rank #2,480

## Definitions
1. A university professor, particularly one at Oxford or Cambridge.
2. An employee of a university residence who lives among the student residents.
3. A mafia boss, primarily for Italian or Italian American bosses.
4. A (usually Spanish or Italian) title of respect to a man, especially a lord or nobleman.
5. Any man, bloke, dude.

## Etymology
From Latin dominus (“lord, head of household”), akin to Italian don, Sicilian don, Spanish don; from domus (“house”). Doublet of dom, domine, dominie, and dominus.

## Easily confused with
- **Dr** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-dr)
- **DS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-ds)
- **DT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-dt)
- **DP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-dp)
- **dw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-dw)
- **Dx** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-dx)
- **DV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-dv)
- **dy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-dy)
- **DQ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-dq)
- **due** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-due)
- **dry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-dry)
- **DVD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-dvd)
- **duo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-duo)
- **dot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-dot)
- **dug** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-dug)
- **dye** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-dye)
- **DOS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-dos)
- **dub** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-dub)
- **dow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-dow)
- **doo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-vs-doo)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/don