/ dɒn; NAmE dɑːn/ noun , verb
■ noun
1.
( BrE ) a teacher at a university, especially Oxford or Cambridge
—see also donnish
2.
( informal ) the leader of a group of criminals involved with the Mafia
■ verb
( -nn- ) [ vn ] ( formal ) to put clothes, etc. on :
He donned his jacket and went out.
••
WORD ORIGIN
noun early 16th cent. (referring to a Spanish title which came before a male first name): from Spanish , from Latin dominus lord, master.
verb late Middle English : contraction of do on . Compare with doff .