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The termDon (Spanish:[don], literally 'Lord')[a] abbreviated asD., is anhonorificprefix primarily used inSpain andHispanic America, and with different connotations also inItaly,Portugal and its former colonies, and formerly inthe Philippines.
Don is derived from the Latindominus: a master of a household, a title with background from theRoman Republic inclassical antiquity. With the abbreviated form having emerged as such in theMiddle Ages, traditionally it is reserved forCatholic clergy andnobles, in addition to certain educational authorities and persons of high distinction.
The older form ofDom is the variant used in Portuguese, which inBrazil is reserved forbishops. The title is also used amongBenedictinemonks for those members of the community who have professed perpetualreligious vows. The equivalent ofDoña orDame is used bynuns of the Order.
In Spanish, although originally a title reserved for royalty, select nobles, and church hierarchs, it is now often used as a mark of esteem for an individual of personal, social or official distinction, such as a community leader of long-standing, a person of significant wealth, anoble, or the member of anorder of merit. As astyle, rather than atitle orrank, it is used with, rather than in place of, a person's name.
The feminine equivalents areDoña (Spanish:[ˈdoɲa]),Donna (Italian:[ˈdɔnna]),Doamnă (Romanian) andDona (Portuguese:[ˈdonɐ]) abbreviated 'D.ª', 'Da.', or simply 'D.' It is a common honorific reserved for women, especially mature women. In PortugueseDona tends to be less restricted in use to women thanDom is to men.[1]Today in the Spanish language,Doña is used to respectfully refer to a mature woman. In present-day Hispanic America, the titleDon orDoña is sometimes used in honorific form when addressing a senior citizen. In some countries,Don orDoña may be used as a generic honorific, similar to "sir" and "madam" in theUnited States.
In Spanish,don anddoña convey a higher degree of reverence. UnlikeThe Honourable in English (but like the EnglishSir for aknight orbaronet),Don may be used when speaking directly to a person, and unlikeLord it must be used with a given name. For example, "Don Diego de la Vega" or simply "Don Diego" (the secret identity ofZorro) are typical forms. But a form using the last name (e.g. "Don de la Vega") is not considered correct and rarely would be used bySpanish speakers ("Señor de la Vega" would be used instead).
Historically,don was used to address members of the nobility, e.g.hidalgos, as well as members of thesecular clergy. The treatment gradually came to be reserved for persons of theblood royal, e.g. DonJohn of Austria, and those of such acknowledged high or ancient aristocratic birth as to be noblede Juro e Herdade, that is, "by right and heredity" rather than by the king's grace. However, there were rare exemptions to the rule, such as themulattoMiguel Enríquez who received the distinction fromPhilip V due to hisprivateering work in theCaribbean. It is now often used as a more formal version ofSeñor, a term which itself was also once used to address someone with the quality of nobility (not necessarily holding a nobiliary title).[2][3]
During the reign of KingJuan Carlos of Spain, from 1975 until hisabdication on 19 June 2014, he was titledSu Majestad [S. M.] el Rey Juan Carlos (His Majesty King Juan Carlos). Following the abdication, Royal Decree 1368/1987 gave Juan Carlos and his wife the official styleS. M. el Rey Don Juan Carlos (H.M. King Juan Carlos) andS. M. la Reina Doña Sofía (H.M. Queen Sofía)—the same as during his reign, with the honorificDon/Doña prefixed to the names. Don Juan Carlos' successor isS. M. el Rey Felipe VI.[2]
Spanish law grants Spanish nationals who are Knights or Dames of theOrder of Civil Merit, theOrder of Charles III, and theOrder of Isabella the Catholic the formal styleDon (for Knights) orDoña (for Dames), used in the same way asSir orDame for knighted British nationals.
The Spanish usage is similar among Basque speakers in Spain usingdon[4] anddoña.[5]The honorific is sometimes adapted ason as in the priest and scholaronJoxemiel Barandiaran (Spanish:Don José Miguel Barandiarán) or fictional knightOn Kixote (Don Quixote).[6][7]
The honorific was also used amongLadino-speakingSephardi Jews, as part of the Spanish culture which they took with them after theexpulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.
The honorific titleDon was widely used in Crown documents throughout Hispanic America by those innobility or landed gentry. It can be found in the many 'Padrones' and "Aguas y Tierras" records in Mexican archives. The honorific in modern times is also widely used throughout the Americas. This is the case of the Mexican New Age authorDon Miguel Ángel Ruiz,[8] theChilean television personalityDon Francisco,[9] and thePuerto Rican industrialist and politicianDon Luis Ferré,[10] among many other figures. Although Puerto Rican politicianPedro Albizu Campos had a doctoral degree, he has been titledDon.[11] Likewise, Puerto Rican GovernorLuis Muñoz Marín has often been called Don Luís Muñoz Marin instead ofGovernor Muñoz Marin.[12] In the same manner,Don Miguel Ángel Ruiz is anM.D.[13] Additionally the honorific is usually used with people of older age.
The same happens in other Hispanic American countries. For example, despite having a doctoral degree intheology, theParaguayan dictatorJosé Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia was usually styled as "Don". Likewise, despite being a respected military commander with the rank ofBrigade General,Argentine RulerJuan Manuel de Rosas was formally and informally styled "Don" as a more important title.
Prior to the American ownership of the Southwest, a number of Americans immigrated toCalifornia, where they often became Mexican citizens and changed their given names to Spanish equivalents, for example "Juan Temple" for Jonathan Temple.[14] It was common for them to assume the honorific "don" once they had attained a significant degree of distinction in the community.
In theSpanish colonial Philippines, this honorific was reserved to thenobility, the prehispanicdatu[15] that became theprincipalía,[16]: 218 whose right to rule was recognised byPhilip II on 11 June 1594.[17]: tit. VII, ley xvi Similar to Latin America, the titleDon is considered highly honoured,[18] more so than academic titles such as "Doctor", political titles such as "Governor", and even knights titled"Sir". Usage was retained during theAmerican period, although traditional official positions of theprincipalía (e.g.,gobernadorcillo andcabeza de barangay) were replaced by American political positions such as the municipal president.[19] The practise slowly faded afterWorld War II, as heirs of theprincipalía often did not inherit the title, and as civic leaders were chosen by popular election. Prior to 1954,[20] the appointment and tenure of mayors was at the pleasure of thepresident of the Philippines, pursuant toCommonwealth Act No. 158 amending Commonwealth Act No. 57., Section 8 of Commonwealth Act No. 158, as amended by Republic Act No. 276.[21] The1987 Constitution, meanwhile, explicitly prohibits recognition of titles of nobility, thus the termsDon andDoña are nowcourtesy titles with no requirements for their attainment other than common usage for socially prominent and rich persons.
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Officially,Don was thehonorific title exclusively reserved for a member of a high noble family such aprincipe or aduca, excluding amarchese or aconte (and any legitimate, male-line descendant thereof). Areigning prince or duke would also be entitled to some form of the higher style ofAltezza (egSua Altezza Serenissima,Sua Altezza Reale) in addition to theDon. This was how the style was used in theAlmanach de Gotha for extant families in its third section focused on the 200 non sovereign princely and ducal families of Europe.[citation needed]
The last official Italian nobility law (abrogated 1948) stated that the style belonged to members of the following groups:
Genealogical databases anddynastic works still reserve the title for this class of noble by tradition, although it is no longer a right under Italian law.
In practice, however, the style Don/Donna (or Latin Dominus/Domina) was used more loosely in church, civil and notarial records. The honorific was often accorded to the untitled gentry (e.g., knights or younger sons of noblemen), priests, or other people of distinction. It was, over time, adopted by organized criminal societies inSouthern Italy (including Naples, Sicily, and Calabria) to refer to members who held considerable sway within their hierarchies.
In modern Italy, the title is usually only given toRoman Catholicdiocesan priests (never to prelates, who bear higher honorifics such asmonsignore,eminenza, and so on). InSardinia, until recently it was commonly used for nobility (whether titled or not), but it is being presently used mainly when the speaker wants to show that he knows thedon's condition of nobility.
Outside of the priesthood or old nobility, usage is still common in Southern Italy, mostly as an honorific form to address the elderly, but it is rarely, if ever, used inCentral Italy orNorthern Italy. It can be used satirically or ironically to lampoon a person's sense of self-importance.[citation needed]
Don isprefixed either to the full name or to the person'sgiven name. The form "Don Lastname" forcrime bosses (as inDon Corleone) is an American custom. In Southern Italy, mafia bosses are addressed as "Don Firstname" by othermafiosi and sometimes their victims as well, while the press usually refers to them as "Firstname Lastname", without the honorific.
Priests are the only ones to be referred as "Don" plus the last name (e.g. Don Marioni), although when talking directly to them they are usually addressed as "Don" plus the first name (e.g. Don Francesco), which is also the most common form used by parishioners when referring to their priest.
The usage ofDom was a prerogative of princes of royal blood and also of other individuals to whom it had been granted by the sovereign.[23] In most cases, the title was passed on through the male line. Strictly speaking, only females born of a nobleman bearing the titleDom would be addressed asDona ('D.ª'), but the style was not heritable through daughters. The few exceptions depended solely on the conditions upon which the title itself had been granted. A well-known exception is the descent of DomVasco da Gama.
There were many cases, both in Portugal and Brazil, in which the title ofDom (orDona) was conceded to, and even bought by, people who were not from royalty. In any case, when the title was officially recognized by the proper authority, it became part of the name.
In Portugal and Brazil,Dom (pronounced[ˈdõ]) is used for certain higher membershierarchs, such assuperiors, of theRoman Catholic andEastern Orthodox churches. InCatholic religious orders, such as theOrder of Saint Benedict, it is also associated with the status ofDom Frater.Dom is similarly used as an honorific for Benedictine monks within the Benedictine Order throughout France and the English speaking world, such as the famousDom Pérignon. In France, it is also used within the male branch of theCarthusian Order.
It is also employed forlaymen who belong to the royal and imperial families (for example theHouse of Aviz in Portugal and theHouse of Braganza in Portugal and Brazil).[24] It was also accorded to members of families of the titledPortuguese nobility.[1] Unless ennoblingletters patent specifically authorised its use,Dom was not attributed to members of Portugal's untitled nobility: Since hereditary titles in Portugal descended according toprimogeniture, the right to thestyle ofDom was the only apparent distinction betweencadets of titled families and members of untitled noble families.[1]
In the Portuguese language, the feminine form,Dona (or, more politely,Senhora Dona), has become common when referring to a woman who does not hold an academic title. It is commonly used to refer toFirst Ladies, although it is less common for female politicians.
Within the Catholic Church, the prefixDon is usually used for thediocesan priests with their first name, as well asvelečasni (The Reverend).
Dom is used as a title in English for certainBenedictine (including some communities which follow theRule of St. Benedict) andCarthusianmonks, and for members of certain communities ofcanons regular. Examples include Benedictine monks of theEnglish Benedictine Congregation (e.g.Dom John Chapman, lateAbbot of Downside). Since theSecond Vatican Council, the title can be given to any monk (lay orordained) who has made a solemnprofession. The equivalent title for anun is "Dame" (e.g. DameLaurentia McLachlan, lateAbbess of Stanbrook, or DameFelicitas Corrigan, author).
In theUnited States,Don has also been made popular by films depicting the Italianmafia, such asThe Godfather trilogy, where thecrime boss is given by his associates the same signs of respect that were traditionally granted in Italy to nobility. However, the honorific followed by the last name (e.g. Don Corleone) would be used in Italy for priests only: the proper Italian respectful form is similar to the Spanish-language form in that it is applied only to the first name (e.g. "DonVito"). This title has in turn been applied by the media to real-world mafia figures, such as the nickname "Teflon Don" forJohn Gotti.It is also used in American TV seriesBreaking Bad andBetter Call Saul.
On iz. (G) [ izenen aurrean ] Sir, Don; O~ Mikel Sir Michael
jaun, On, don
Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century.
Títulos:i De los Indios.ii De la libertad de los Indios.iii De las Reducciones, y Pueblos de Indios.iv De las caxas de censos, y bienes de Comunidad, y su administracion.v De los tributos, y tassas de los Indios.vi De los Protectores de Indios.vii De los Caciques.viii De los repastimientos, encomiendas, y pensiones de Indios, y calidades de los titulos.ix De los Encomenderos de Indios.x De el buen tratamiento de los Indios.xi De la sucession de encomiendas, entretenimientos, y ayudas de costa.xii Del servicio personal.xiii Del servicio en chacras, viñas, olivares, obrajes, ingenios, perlas, tambos, requas, carreterias, casas, ganados, y bogas.xiv Del servicio en coca, y añir.xv Del servicio en minas.xvi De los Indios de Chile.xvii De los Indios de Tucuman, Paraguay, y Rio de la Plata.xviii De los Sangleyes.xix De las confirmaciones de encomiendas, pensiones, rentas, y situaciones.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Dominus".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 405.
