1.An older woman acting as a governess and companion in charge of girls, especially in a Spanish family; a chaperone.
‘But, in spite of a large padlock on the door, Leander, a young lover, presents himself during Diego’s absence, cajoles the _duenna_ and Mungo, the servant, and gains admission to the lady.’
‘She brought an entourage of some sixty people, from her aristocratic _duenna_ , Dona Elvira, to her bishops and chaplains, her ladies, her pages, her fool, her butler and her cooks.’
|noun|
‘But, in spite of a large padlock on the door, Leander, a young lover, presents himself during Diego’s absence, cajoles the _duenna_ and Mungo, the servant, and gains admission to the lady.’
