"a dean, the senior member of a body," originally "a commander of ten," early 15c., from Old French doyen "commander of ten," from Old French deien (see dean).
Entries linking to doyen
dean n.
early 14c., an ecclesiastical title, etymologically "head of a group of ten," from Old French deien (12c., Modern French doyen), from Late Latin decanus "head of a group of 10 monks in a monastery," from earlier secular meaning "commander of 10 soldiers" (which was extended to civil administrators in the late empire), from Greek dekanos, from deka "ten" (from PIE root *dekm- "ten"). It replaced Old English teoðingealdor.
Sense of "president of a faculty or department in a university" is by 1520s (in Anglo-Latin from late 13c.). Extended meaning "oldest member in length of service in any constituted body" is from mid-15c. Related: Deanery.
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit dasa, Avestan dasa, Armenian tasn, Greek deka, Latin decem (source of Spanish diez, French dix), Old Church Slavonic deseti, Lithuanian dešimt, Old Irish deich, Breton dek, Welsh deg, Albanian djetu, Old English ten, Old High German zehan, Gothic taihun "ten."
doyenne n.
"leading or senior woman in a group or society," 1905, from fem. of French doyen (see doyen). As a type of pear, from 1731.