First Known Use: before 12th century
Dictionary
1queen
noun \ˈkwēn\
Definition of QUEEN
1
a : the wife or widow of a king b : the wife or widow of a tribal chief
2
a : a female monarch b : a female chieftain
3
a : a woman eminent in rank, power, or attractions <a movie queen> b : a goddess or a thing personified as female and having supremacy in a specified realm c : an attractive girl or woman; especially : a beauty contest winner
4
: the most privileged piece of each color in a set of chessmen having the power to move in any direction across any number of unoccupied squares
5
: a playing card marked with a stylized figure of a queen
6
: the fertile fully developed female of social bees, ants, and termites whose function is to lay eggs
7
: a mature female cat kept especially for breeding
8
often disparaging : a male homosexual; especially : an effeminate one
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Origin of QUEEN
Middle English quene, from Old English cwēn woman, wife, queen; akin to Gothic qens wife, Greek gynē woman, Sanskrit jani
2queen
verb
Definition of QUEEN
intransitive verb
1
: to act like a queen; especially : to put on airs —usually used with it <queens it over her friends>
2
: to become a queen in chess <the pawn queens>
transitive verb
: to promote (a pawn) to a queen in chess
First Known Use of QUEEN
1611
QUEEN Defined for Kids
queen
noun \ˈkwēn\
Definition of QUEEN for Kids
1
: a woman who rules a country or kingdom
2
: the wife or widow of a king
3
: a woman or girl who is highly respected or well-known within a field <the queen of the blues>
4
: the most powerful piece in the game of chess
5
: a playing card bearing the figure of a queen
6
: a fully developed adult female insect (as a bee, ant, or termite) that lays eggs
— queen·ly adjective <queenly posture>
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