doyenne

A woman who is the eldest or senior member of a group.

[French, feminine of doyen, senior member. See doyen.]

Apparently, being the eldest or senior member of a group is not always enough to win you respect, as Matt Drudge noted:

"President Bush today again avoided taking a question from White House doyenne Helen Thomas during his 45-minute press conference, even though he took questions from every reporter around her front-row, center seat."

Link: BUSH SNUBS HELEN THOMAS [AGAIN]

Posted January 30, 2006.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a woman who is the senior member of a group