Dons

/dɑnz/ verb

Definition

Puts on or wears, especially quickly or in a formal way; or plural noun for university professors.

Etymology

From Spanish/Portuguese 'don' (a title of respect), from Latin 'dominus' (master). As a verb meaning 'to put on', it comes from an archaic contraction of 'do on'. As a noun for professors, it comes from Oxford's use of the title for senior academic figures.

Kelly Says

Knights literally 'dons' their armor before battle—it's such a formal, deliberate word that it signals something important is about to happen! Universities still call senior professors 'dons' at Oxford and Cambridge, keeping alive a 500-year-old tradition.

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