found: Work cat.: Rutherford, S. The prima donna and opera, 1815-1930, 2006:p. 1-2 (prime donne, a group of working artists; female singers; focus of the book is on the singer who aspired to become a prima donna)
found: Web. 3(Prima donna (plural: prima donnas). The leading or a principal female singer in an opera or concert organization)
found: OED online, Aug. 22, 2006(Prima donna (plural: prime donne, (prima donnas)). The first or principal female singer in an opera)
found: New Grove online, Aug. 28, 2006((It.: 'first lady'). The leading female role in an opera, often though not always a soprano; by extension, the leading female singer on the roster of an opera company (although a prima donna role could be played by a castrato); later, a vain, capricious person. The term seems to derive from Italian commedia dell'arte; the establishment of the term 'prima donna' in opera came largely with the rise of opera seria, in which a smaller cast of more regular constitution generally included two women, both with substantial parts but one as a rule more prominent)
