The term (, roughly 'Lord') abbreviated as D., is an honorific prefix primarily used in Spain and Hispanic America, and with different connotations also in Italy, Portugal and its former colonies, Croatia, and formerly in the Philippines.
is derived from the Latin : a master of a household, a title with background from the Roman Republic in classical antiquity. With the abbreviated form having emerged as such in the Middle Ages, traditionally it is reserved for Catholic clergy and nobles, in addition to certain educational authorities and persons of distinction. is the variant used in Portuguese.
In Spanish, although originally a title reserved for royalty, select nobles, and church hierarchs, it is now often used as a mark of esteem for a person of personal, social or official distinction, such as a community leader of long-standing, a person of significant wealth, or a noble, but may also be used ironically. As a style, rather than a title or rank, it is used with, rather than in place of, a person's name.
The feminine equivalents are (), (), (Romanian) and () abbreviated 'D.ª', 'Da.', or simply 'D.' It is a common honorific reserved for women, especially mature women. In Portuguese tends to be less restricted in use to women than is to men. Today in the Spanish language, is used to respectfully refer to a mature woman. In present-day Hispanic America, the title or is sometimes used in honorific form when addressing a senior citizen. In some countries, Don or Doña may be used as a generic honorific, similar to Sir and Madam in the United States.
Syntactically, in Spanish, and are used in a way similar to "mister" () and "missus" (), but convey a higher degree of reverence, although not necessarily as high as knightly or noble titles such as lord and dame. Unlike The Honourable in English (but like the English Sir for a knight or baronet), may be used when speaking directly to a person, and unlike mister it must be used with a given name. For example, "Don Diego de la Vega" or simply "Don Diego" (the secret identity of Zorro) are typical forms. But a form using the last name (e.g. "Don de la Vega") is not considered correct and rarely would be used by Spanish speakers ("señor de la Vega" would be used instead).
Spanish-speaking countries and territories
Historically, was used to address members of the nobility, e.g. hidalgos, as well as members of the secular clergy. The treatment gradually came to be reserved for persons of the blood royal, and those of such acknowledged high or ancient aristocratic birth as to be noble , that is, "by right and heredity" rather than by the king's grace. However, there were rare exemptions to the rule, such as the mulatto Miguel Enríquez who received the distinction from Philip V due to his privateering work in the Caribbean. By the twentieth century it was no longer restricted in use to even the upper classes, since persons of means or education (at least of a "bachiller" level), came to be so addressed as regardless of background. It is now often used as a more formal version of , a term which itself was also once used to address someone with the quality of nobility (not necessarily holding a nobiliary title). This was, for example, the case of military leaders addressing Spanish troops as "señores soldados" (gentlemen-soldiers).
Don would roughly translate to "mister" or "esquire".
Spain
During the reign of King Juan Carlos of Spain from 1975 until his abdication as monarch on 19 June 2014, he was titled (His Majesty King Juan Carlos). Following the abdication, Juan Carlos and his wife are titled, according to the Royal Household website, (H.M. King Juan Carlos) and (H.M. Queen Sofía)—the same as during his reign, with the honorific / prefixed to the names. Juan Carlos' successor is .
Basque
The Spanish usage is similar among Basque speakers in Spain using and . The honorific is sometimes adapted as as in the priest and scholar () or fictional knight (Don Quixote).
Sephardi Jews
The honorific was also used among Ladino-speaking Sephardi Jews, as part of the Spanish culture which they took with them after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.