doyenne

As eight of her novels are republished, we salute a doyenne of literary fiction whose work juxtaposes tragedy and comedy.

No one wants to criticize Jane Goodall—Dame Goodall—the soft-spoken, white-haired doyenne of primatology.

She is not some rarefied doyenne whose choices carry moral clout.

Tea Party doyenne and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann may be positioning herself for the 2012 contest.

As Democratic doyenne Pamela Harriman once put it, "he's not entirely housebroken."

I had no idea what les manches de cour were, and, naturally, I went to the doyenne to find out.

Madame la doyenne was so overcome that for a moment speech left her.

There was no alternative, and the absence of the doyenne must explain itself as best it could.

She did not seem in the least surprised at seeing me alone; possibly the doyenne had written her own account of the headache.

When I reached home I changed my dress and drove to the house of the "suffering" doyenne.