• queene,quene,queyne(obsolete)

FromMiddle Englishquene,queen,cwen, fromOld Englishcwēn(“queen”), fromProto-West Germanic*kwāni, fromProto-Germanic*kwēniz(“woman”), fromProto-Indo-European*gʷénh₂s(“woman”).

Cognate withScotsqueen,wheen(“queen”),Old Saxonquān("wife"; >Middle Low Germanquene(“elderly woman”)),Dutchkween(“woman past child-bearing age”),Swedishkvinna(“woman”),Norwegiankvinne(“woman”),Danishkvinde(“woman”),Icelandickvon(“wife”),Gothic𐌵𐌴𐌽𐍃(qēns,“wife”),Norwegian dialectalkvån(“wife”). Related to and possibly merged with and/or absorbed some senses of Englishquean, fromMiddle Englishquene, fromOld Englishcwene(“woman; female serf, quean”), seequean. Generally eclipsed non-nativeMiddle Englishregina(“queen”), borrowed fromLatinrēgīna(“queen”) (see Modern Englishregina).Doublet ofquean andgyne.

• enPR:kwēn,IPA^(key):/kwiːn/,[kʰw̥iːn]

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Rhymes:-iːn
• Homophone:quean

queen (pluralqueens)

2. Thewife,consort, orwidow of aking.

   Synonyms:queen consort,Regina

   Coordinate terms:emperor,empress,king,prince,princess

   Hypernym:royal

   Hyponyms:queen consort,queen dowager

   Holonym:royal family

   The divorced king was looking for a newqueen.

   • c.1595–1596 (date written),William Shakespeare,A Midsommer Nights Dreame. […] (First Quarto), London:[…][Richard Bradock] for Thomas Fisher, […], published1600,→OCLC,[Act II, scene i]:

     The king doth keepe his Reuels here to night. Take heede theQueene come not within his ſight.

4. Afemalemonarch.

   Synonyms:queen regnant,Regina

   Hypernyms:monarch,royal,sovereign

   Holonym:royal family

   Coordinate terms:emperor,empress,king,prince,princess

   • 1582, Thomas Lupton,The Christian Against the Jesuite‎^[1], London, retrieved14 January 2022, page50v:

     But our mercifull Queene Elizabeth hath not burned the popiſh prieſtes on the alters where they committed idolatrie in ſaying of Maſſe, and worſhipped a piece of breade for the bodie of Chriſte (which ſhee might haue done if ſhee would) and yet you count not her for a godly and mercifullQueene.

   • 2017 March 17, Sam Knight, “‘London Bridge Is Down’: The Secret Plan for the Days After the Queen’s Death”, inThe Guardian‎^[2], London, retrieved16 January 2022:

     In 1952, at the last accession, there were only eight members of the new entity taking shape in the outline of the British Empire. TheQueen was the head of state in seven of them, and she was proclaimed Head of the Commonwealth to accommodate India’s lone status as a republic.

6. Awoman whose pre-eminence, power, or forcefulness is comparable to that of a queen.

   Synonym:goddess

   2. (Christianity) TheVirgin Mary (especially in formulations such asQueen of Heaven, Queen of Glory).

      Synonyms:(archaic)advocatrix,Blessed Virgin,Blessed Virgin Mary,(chiefly historical)Christotokos,lady,Madonna,Mother of God,Mother of Mercy,Our Lady,Our Lady of Sorrows,Queen of Heaven,Saint Mary,Star of the Sea,(chiefly Eastern Christianity)Theotokos,Virgin Mary

      • 1620, Thomas Tell-Troth [pseudonym ofJoseph Swetnam],The Araignment of Lewd, Idle, Froward, and Unconstant Women: Or the Vanitie of Them, Choose You Whether‎^[3], London, published1807, retrieved14 January 2022:

        […] and yet I will not ſay but amongſt duſt there is Pearle found, and in hard rockes Dyamonds of great value, and ſo amongſt many women there are ſome good, as that gracious and gloriousQueene of all woman kinde the VirginMary the mother of al bliſſe, what wun her honour, but an humble minde and her paines and loue vnto our Sauiour Chriſt.

   4. An excellent woman.
      • 1915,Willa Sibert Cather,The Song of the Lark‎^[4], Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, retrieved17 January 2022, page149:

        “Always look after that girl, doc. She's aqueen!”

   6. A woman pre-eminent in a particular group or field.
      • c.1596–1598 (date written),William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard, andEd[ward] Blount, published1623,→OCLC,[Act III, scene ii],page175:

        But now I was the Lord / Of this faire manſion,maſter of my ſeruants, /Queene ore my ſelfe : and euen now,but now.

      • 1973 April, Phyl Garland, “Sounds”, inEbony‎^[5], volume28, number 6, Chicago: Johnson Publishing Co., retrieved16 January 2022, page33:

        Regardless of what one thinks of that Hollywoodish distortion of her life story, it did stimulate an interest in the late Lady Day, though one might speculate as to whether the effect would have been the same had the film starred someone other than Diana Ross, a reigningqueen of pop culture.

   8. (slang, originallyUS) Anattractivewoman; afemalepartner in aromanticrelationship.

      Synonym:honey

      • 1914,Franklin P. Adams,By and Large‎^[6], Garden City, New York: Doulbleday, Page & Company, retrieved15 January 2022, page142:

        Know you the town is full of folks?
           Know you the shows are full ofqueens?
        That every mail is full of jokes
           Born of the nation's brightest beans?

      • 1999, Camika Spencer,When All Hell Breaks Loose‎^[7], New York: Villard,→ISBN, retrieved15 January 2022, page38:

        When I find myqueen, we’re having a whole tribe like our grandparents used to swing it back in the day.

8. Something regarded as the greatest of its kind or as having pre-eminence or power comparable to that of a queen over a given area.
   • 1508,William Dunbar, “The Goldyn Targe”, in William Dunbar, edited by Priscilla Bawcutt,The Poems of William Dunbar, volume 1, Glasgow: Association for Scottish Literary Studies, published1998,→ISBN, page186:

     Thare saw I May, of myrthfull monethisquene.

   • 2006,John Milbank,Theology and Social Theory‎^[8], 2nd edition, Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing,→ISBN, page418:

     The foregoing eleven chapters of criticism were but preludes to an assertion: of theology as itself a social science, and thequeen of the sciences for the inhabitants of thealtera civitas, on pilgrimage through this temporary world.

10. Referring to one of several items used intabletop games:
    2. (chess) Achess piece that, under contemporary rules, is the most powerful, able to move any number of spaces horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

       Synonyms:(slang, vulgar, offensive)bitch,(slang)dame,(slang, rare)lady,(slang)old lady,(slang, vulgar, offensive)whore

       Hypernyms:chess piece,chessman

       Holonym:chess set

       Coordinate terms:bishop,castle,king,knight,pawn,rook

       • 1562,Damiano da Odemira, translated by Iames Rowbothum,The Pleasaunt and Wittie Playe of the Cheasts Renewed, with Instructions Both to Learne It Easely, and to Play It Well, London, page A7v:

         For this cauſe that when he [the pawn] can procede so well in warre, as to arriue at the laſte rancke of hys enemies, he is choſen and made the beſt piece of the playe, to wit, he is theQuene.

       • 1761,Edmond Hoyle,An Essay Towards Making the Game of Chess Easily Learned‎^[9], London, retrieved13 January 2022, page51:

         And, further, let us ſuppoſe, that your King is at Liberty to attack his Pawns upon one Side of the Board, by reckoning how many moves it will take your King to march and take thoſe two Pawns, and alſo, by adding the Number of Moves, which will be neceſſary for you to make aQueen with one of your Pawns: You will, by this Method, find out the exact number of Moves, before you can make aQueen.

    4. (card games) Aplaying card with a depiction of a queen on it, generally ranking next below theking and above thejack in a givensuit.

       Synonyms:(slang, vulgar, offensive)bitch,(slang)cowgirl,(slang)girl,(slang)lady,(slang, vulgar, offensive)mop squeezer

       Hypernyms:court card,face card

       Hyponym:Queen Bess

       Holonyms:deck of cards,pack of cards

       Coordinate terms:jack,king,knave

       • 1575,Gammer Gurton’s Nedle:

         There is 5. trumps beside theQueene, y^e hindmost y^u shalt finde her

       • 2003, Lou Krieger, Kathleen Keller Watterson,Internet Poker: How to Play and Beat Online Poker Games, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: ConJelCo,→ISBN, pages84–85:

         Just remember that a nine or ten on the flop may trap you against the early raiser if he’s holding a big pair, or if he catches an ace or king orqueen — or even a jack — on a later round.

    6. A red disk that is the most valuable piece in the Asian game ofcarrom.
       • 2014,Shahnaz Bashir,The Half Mother: A Novel, Gurgaon, India: Hachette India,→ISBN:

         Imran was good at carrom. Always after the bright redqueen, the centre of attention on the board, he tussled to win it first.

12. A reproductive female insect in a hive, such as anant,bee,termite orwasp.

    Synonym:(obsolete)king

    Hypernyms:bug,insect

    Hyponym:queen bee

    • 2010,Thomas D. Seeley,Honeybee Democracy, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press,→ISBN, page37:

      Each time a worker shakes thequeen, she grasps thequeen with her forelegs and shakes her own body for a second or so, delivering 10 to 20 vigorous shakings of thequeen[…]

13. (obsolete) A type offlatfish, specifically thelemon sole.
15. (rare) Aqueen apple.

    Hypernym:apple

17. (originallyUK) Aqueen scallop.
19. (construction,obsolete)Ellipsis ofqueen post.

    Coordinate term:king

    • 1811,Skyring's Builder’s Prices:

      Truss framed with King Posts[…] Do. with Kings andQueens.

20. (now chieflyhistorical) A type of large roofing slate.
22. (LGBTQslang, sometimesderogatory) Ahomosexual man, especially one regarded aseffeminate.^[1]

    Synonyms:fag,faggot,fairy,fruit,Mary,nancy,Nancy Dawson,nancyboy,nelly,pansy,ponce,poof,poofter,shirtlifter,twink;see alsoThesaurus:effeminate man,Thesaurus:male homosexual

    Hypernym:gay

    • 1893, C. H. Hughes, “Postscript to Paper on ‘Erotopathia’”, inThe Alienist and Neurologist‎^[10], volume14, retrieved4 February 2022, pages731–732:

      […] all of these men are lasciviously dressed in womanly attire, short sleeves, low-necked dresses and the usual ball-room decorations and ornaments of women, feathered and ribboned head-dresses, garters, frills, flowers, ruffles, etc., and deport themselves as women. Standing or seated on a pedestal, but accessible to all the rest, is the nakedqueen (a male), whose phallic member, decorated with a ribbon, is subject to the gaze and osculations in turn, of all the members of this lecherous gang of sexual perverts and phallic fornicators.

    • 1919, Lawrence R. Murphy,Perverts by Official Order: The Campaign Against Homosexuals by the United States Navy, New York: Harrington Park Press, published1988,→ISBN, page57:

      […] operator Charles Zipf described the "feminine" attire found in Gianelli’s room, reported his description of other "queens," and passed on "Salome's" admission of having had sex with men from the U.S.S.Baltimore.

    • 1974 March, Bebe Scarpi, “Intro 2, a Threat to Transvestites?”, inGay‎^[11], volume 5, number112, New York: Four Swords, retrieved13 January 2022, page 5:

      Despite one's opinion ofSylvia I can attest to the purity of her intent and dedication, and, no one will dare deny she is one gutsyqueen.

24. An adult femalecat capable of breeding.

    Hypernym:cat

    Coordinate terms:tom,tomcat

    • 1898 August 6,The Ladies’ Field:

      A few outdoor houses for thequeens are used.

    • 1906 September, C. S. Sedgwick, “Veterinary Notes”, inPacific Fancier‎^[12], volume 4, number 2, Los Angeles, retrieved19 January 2022, page25:

      When yourqueen has returned from the stud it is always advisable to keep her shut up until all restlessness has left her.

26. Ellipsis ofqueen olive.
    • 1935 December 30,Foreign Agricultural Service, “Spanish Pickled Olive Production and Supplies”, inForeign Crops and Markets‎^[13], volume31, number27, Washington: United States Department of Agriculture, retrieved4 February 2022, page931:

      The combined quantity ofQueens and Manzanillas to be pickled from the 1935 olive crop in the Seville District of Spain is estimated at 32,500 short tons, according to a report received from N. I. Nielsen, Agricultural Attaché at Paris.

    • 1984,United States International Trade Commission,Bottled Green Olives from Spain, Washington, pageA-24:

      Prices for the two main types of Spanish style green olives - manzanillas andqueens - vary according to the size of the crop of each. In some yearsqueens will be more expensive than manzanillas[…]

28. (LGBTQ,slang)Ellipsis ofdrag queen.
    • 2004, Steven J. Hopkins, “‘Let the Drag Race Begin’: The Rewards of Becoming aQueen”, inJournal of Homosexuality, volume46, numbers3–4,→DOI,→ISSN, page144:

      Since exposure plays a major role in the success of aqueen, even those performers who do not win a Talent Night can obtain bookings by the bar and establish a reputation.

    • 2018 December 19, Jocelyn Samara D.,Rain (webcomic),Comic 1111 - Drag:

      "I mean, it's not for everyone. And there's definitely good drag and bad drag.[…] But I did learn a lot about myself and what I wanted from my life from some of thequeens I used to know."

30. (attributive, originallyCanada,US) Pertaining to aqueen-size bed or queen-size bedding.

    Synonyms:queen-size,queen-sized

    • 1994 March 21,Leonore Fleischer, “Sales & Bargains”, inNew York, volume27, number12,→ISSN, page73:

      Ad Hoc Softwares has bright hand-blocked floral cotton bed linens from India, including flat full/queen sheets, were $85, now $51; standard pillowcases, were $18 each, now $10.80[…]

32. Amonarch butterfly (Danaus spp., especiallyDanaus gilippus).

• (homosexual man): The term can be either derogatory or a self-identification.(Comparenigger.)
• (ellipsis ofdrag queen): Some of the people who were historically (in the late 1960s and 1970s) described as “queens” or “drag queens” or “street queens” are now sometimes consideredtransgender, especially when theirgender identity is female ornon-binary/genderqueer rather than male. Some people, likeSylvia Rivera, self-identified as both a “transgender person” and a “street queen”. Drag queens, too, can have any gender identity.

queen (third-person singular simple presentqueens,present participlequeening,simple past and past participlequeened)

1. (intransitive,obsolete) To act the part of a queen; to behaveimperiously; toqueen it.
2. (transitive) To make aqueen or (figuratively) to give the status of a queen.
   • c.1610–1611 (date written),William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard, andEd[ward] Blount, published1623,→OCLC,[Act IV, scene iv],page295, column 1:

     This dreame of mine / Being now awake, IleQueene it no inch farther, / But milke my Ewes, and weepe.

3. (chess) Topromote apawn to aqueen.
   • 2003,Yasser Seirawan,Winning Chess Endings, London: Everyman Chess,→ISBN,page39:

     Neither King will be able to stop the opponent's pawns fromqueening, when the game should be a draw. In such cases, which sidequeens first, orqueens with check, can make a crucial difference. In this case, White promotes his pawn first and is able to put this advantage to good use.

4. (beekeeping) To be the queen bee of a colony.
   • 1882 November 22, E. L. Briggs, “Development of ‘The Coming Bee’”, inThe American Bee Journal‎^[14], volume18, number47, retrieved15 January 2022, page743:

     They have all beenqueened by imported stock, or the best of home-bred mothers.

   • 1957, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (India),The Wealth of India, page263:

     The nucleus should not bequeened by a queen from any of the parent colonies.

5. (beekeeping) To provide with a new queen bee.

   Antonym:dequeen

   • 1896,The Progressive Bee-Keeper, page320:

     Inqueening his apiary, he aims to keep about half of the queens of the current season's rearing, and the other of the summer preceding.

   • 1967, Everett Franklin Phillips,Are Bees Reflex Machines?:

     If such a queen is immediately allowed to run through the entrance of a queenless colony, thequeening is usually successful.

   • 1980, Robert E. Donovan,Hunting Wild Bees:

     Once you have introduced the queen, the first three steps of the capture have been completed, namely: blocking the tree, providing an alternate home, andqueening the colony.

   • 2007, NPCS Board of Consultants & Engineers,The Complete Book on Beekeeping and Honey Processing,→ISBN, page389:

     Sealed cells with about to emerge queens are used forqueening the divisions.

6. (BDSM,slang,transitive, usually of a woman) To sit on a person’s face to receiveoral sex, typically whilestraddling the person’s head.

   Synonyms:face-sit,king

   • 1996, Lorelei,The Mistress Manual: The Good Girl’s Guide to Female Dominance, Scranton, Pennsylvania: Berkana Press,→ISBN, page138:

     The classic posture, in which you lie on your back while the male serves you, may make him feel arrogant and in charge. TryQueening him. Have him lie on his back while you sit on his face (make sure he has an airway through either his mouth or his nose).

   • 2012, Yolanda Celbridge,The Castle of Maldona:

     She saw his pink tongue flickering on Clare's exposed nympha as shequeened him, her love juices shining on his chin and throat[…]

• queen out

• facesitting
• smothering

• Kent Patterson (1971) “Checkschmuck! The Slang of the Chess Player”, inAmerican Speech, volume46, numbers3–4,→DOI,→ISSN, pages231–236.
• “queen,n.”, inOED Online ⁠, Oxford:Oxford University Press,2021.
• “queen”, inOneLook Dictionary Search.
• “queen n.”, inGreen’s Dictionary of Slang,Jonathon Green, 2016–present

• quene

queen

1. Alternative form ofquene(“queen”)

FromMiddle Englishquene, fromOld Englishcwēn, fromProto-West Germanic*kwāni.

• IPA^(key):/kwiːn/

queen

1. queen
   • 1867, “THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, inSONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 5, page96:

     Earch myde was aqueen, an earch bye was a king;

     Each maid was aqueen, and each boy was a king;

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor,A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published1867,page96