queen´like´

queen «kween», noun, verb.

–n.

1. the wife of a king: »

The princess became a queen upon marrying the young king.

2. a woman ruler: »

England has a queen as head of her government.

3. Figurative. a) a woman who is very important: »

the queen of society.

b) a woman who is very stately or attractive: »

a beauty queen, the queen of the May.

4. a fully developed female in a colony of insects, such as bees or ants, that lays eggs. There is usually only one queen in a hive of bees. and bee¹. (Cf. ↑bee)

5. a playing card with a picture of a queen.

6. the most powerful piece in the game of chess. It can move any number of squares in any straight or diagonal direction.

7. the chief, best, finest, or most: »

the rose, queen of flowers.

8. Slang. a male homosexual, especially one who is effeminate or plays a female role.

–v.i.

1. Also, queen it, to act like a queen: »

She's a fine girl…fit to queen it in any drawing-room (George Meredith).

2. to reign as queen.

3. to become a queen in chess: »

White's queen pawn had a clear path for queening (Al Horowitz).

–v.t.

to make a queen of: »

to queen a pawn in chess.

╂[Old English cwēn]

–queen´like´, adjective.