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English word origin

Etymology of Donna

A 19th-century invention from the Italian noun donna; also interpreted as a feminine form of Donald.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

INDEPENDENT SOURCE LIBRARY

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Chambers (1908)

1908
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In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A female given name from Italian. · A city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States, named after postmistress Donna Fletcher.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

A 19th-century invention from the Italian noun donna; also interpreted as a feminine form of Donald.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "it",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "donna",
      "donna#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "Donald",
      "Donald"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A female given name from Italian.",
        "A city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States, named after postmistress Donna Fletcher."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "6d3ef3a7c96922c638034bd226df4485195448387ce63c69bcf141687bdd4dcf",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ebc4f22ef44250df50f770628e49d8f6ba240481f8f915a1c756fe2593fc70c7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 325258
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from Italian.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Italian Donna.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "it:Donna",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Italian\", \"term\" : \"Donna\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"it\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Donna\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Donna\">\nBorrowed from Italian Donna."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "it:Donna",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Italian Donna."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Donna",
      "Donna#Italian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Italian."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "1e6032dc9a49116a32db1576de5b5bed9379ac5e51a903a9325514ca90a9fb41",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c9ab818fca6a6a4fb2d07e5466abd9f40fa3a482cd9114d9e1e5f516203a516e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 325259
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

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Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-RG9ubmE