δέσποινα

From Proto-Hellenic *déspoňňa, from Proto-Indo-European *déms pótnih₂ (“lady of the house”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬛𐬆𐬨𐬄𐬥𐬋.𐬞𐬀𐬚𐬥𐬍 (dəmąnō.paθnī, “mistress, housekeeper”) and Persian بانو (bânu, “lady”). Female counterpart of δεσπότης (despótēs, “lord”). By surface analysis, δεσπότης (despótēs) +‎ -ινα (-ina).^[1]

δέσποινα • (déspoina) f (genitive δεσποίνης); first declension

1. lady, mistress
2. princess, queen
3. owneress
   • 2022 May 18, Seumas Macdonald, chapter 2, in Linguae Graecae Per Se Illustrata‎:

     ἡ δὲ Εὐγενίᾱ δέσποινά ἐστι τῶν δουλῶν.

     hē dè Eugeníā déspoiná esti tôn doulôn.

     Eugenia is the owneress of the female slaves.

• “δέσποινα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “δέσποινα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• δέσποινα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• “δέσποινα”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers

• δεσποινίς f (despoinís) (miss, Miss)
• δεσποινίδα f (despoinída) (miss, Miss)

Inherited from Ancient Greek δέσποινα (déspoina, “lady of the house, mistress”), from Proto-Hellenic *déspoňňa, from Proto-Indo-European *déms pótnih₂. Cognate with Avestan 𐬛𐬆𐬨𐬄𐬥𐬋.𐬞𐬀𐬚𐬥𐬍 (dəmąnō.paθnī, “mistress, housekeeper”) and Persian بانو (bânu, “lady”).

Female counterpart to δεσπότης (despótis).

δέσποινα • (déspoina) f (plural δέσποινες)

1. miss, Miss address for young, unmarried women
2. female host, hostess
3. lady
4. mistress of the home