dean

¹

[deen]

noun

1. Education.

   1. the head of a faculty, school, or administrative division in a university or college.

      the dean of admissions.

   2. an official in an American college or secondary school having charge of student personnel services, such as counseling or discipline.

      the dean of men.

   3. the official in charge of undergraduate students at an English university.

2. Ecclesiastical.

   1. the head of the chapter of a cathedral or a collegiate church.

   2. Also called vicar forane. a priest in the Roman Catholic Church appointed by a bishop to take care of the affairs of a division of a diocese.

3. the senior member, in length of service, of any group, organization, profession, etc..

   the dean of lexicographers.

Dean

²

[deen]

noun

1. James (Byron), 1931–55, U.S. actor.

2. Jay Hanna Dizzy, 1911–74, U.S. baseball pitcher.

3. a male given name: from the Old English family name meaning “valley.”

dean

¹

/ diːn /

noun

1. the chief administrative official of a college or university faculty

2. (at Oxford and Cambridge universities) a college fellow with responsibility for undergraduate discipline

3. Church of England the head of a chapter of canons and administrator of a cathedral or collegiate church

4. RC Church the cardinal bishop senior by consecration and head of the college of cardinals See also rural dean

Dean

²

/ diːn /

noun

1. Christopher. See Torvill and Dean

2. James ( Byron ). 1931–55, US film actor, who became a cult figure; his films include East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause (both 1955). He died in a car crash

Dean

³

/ diːn /

noun

1. a forest in W England, in Gloucestershire, between the Rivers Severn and Wye: formerly a royal hunting ground

Other Word Forms

• deanship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dean¹

1300–50; Middle English deen < Anglo-French deen, dean, Old French deien < Late Latin decānus chief of ten, equivalent to Latin dec ( em ) ten + -ānus -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of dean¹

C14: from Old French deien, from Late Latin decānus one set over ten persons, from Latin decem ten

Example Sentences

And yet, despite his burgeoning practice, Mr. Stern continued to teach throughout his career, most notably when he returned to Yale as dean of the School of Architecture, serving from 1998 to 2016.

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Duke’s interim dean of admissions, Kathy Phillips, said the revision aligns with a school initiative to “build skills to engage with complex topics with an open mind and humility.”

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It’s simple, said Andre Cordon, dean of admission: “We want more students to apply. We don’t want to put up hurdles.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

When students are unhappy with a grade, they often complain, sometimes directly to the dean.

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In an interview, James Bullock, the dean of Dornsife College, said he understood that such cuts “are annoying.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• administrator 
• legislator 
• principal 
• professor 
• senior