[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/donna/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [D](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/d/) / donna

# donna

noun (Italian; a donna, donne); a name (Donna)

«donna» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (a name) Donna is a woman's first name. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/donna/#m1)
2. (Italian) The Italian word for «woman» or «lady», and an old title of respect for a lady, like «Madam». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/donna/#m2)
3. In the phrase «prima donna»: the main woman singer in an opera, and (informal) a person who is vain and expects special treatment. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/donna/#m3)

### In the lessons

In everyday English «donna» is mostly met as a name or in «prima donna», which tells the reader someone is behaving like a fussy star. In music lessons, the prima donna is the leading opera singer. Phrases: «prima donna», «Madonna» (my lady, a title of Mary, the mother of Jesus).

### Examples

- Donna is my mum's best friend. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/donna/#x1)
- Stop acting like a prima donna and help tidy up! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/donna/#x2)
- The prima donna sang the final song beautifully. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/donna/#x3)
- In Italian, «donna» means woman. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/donna/#x4)
- Madonna, which means «my lady», is a name for Mary in Christian art. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/donna/#x5)
- He threw a prima-donna tantrum when he lost the game. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/donna/#x6)
- The 'prima donna' would only act when the lights were red, for she declared that a blue light did not suit her complexion. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/donna/#x7)

### Note

Not an ordinary English word on its own: it is Italian, or a name (written with a capital: Donna). Pronounced «DON-a». «Prima donna» can be written with or without a hyphen; it is a mild insult when used about ordinary people.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «donna» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/donna/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«donna» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/donna.html) on Mova free.