docent
Americannoun
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a college or university lecturer.
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a person who is a knowledgeable guide, especially one who conducts visitors through a museum and delivers a commentary on the exhibitions.
noun
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a voluntary worker who acts as a guide in a museum, art gallery, etc
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(in the US) a lecturer in some colleges or universities
Other Word Forms
- docentship noun
Etymology
Origin of docent
1630–40; < German Dozent < Latin docent- (stem of docēns, present participle of docēre ), equivalent to doc- teach + -ent -ent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I found her nametag from work as a docent in a historical museum.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025
“We think she lived the life she wanted to live,” said her docent guide, McClelland.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2024
What: 90-minute tours led by a volunteer docent.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2024
The docent was very informative and entertaining, and we learned a lot in just over an hour.
From Seattle Times • May 26, 2024
Even when the docent was taking us around the Fossil Lab and then on to the Observation Pit to see the real bones of a saber-toothed cat, Lily and Nathan were lukewarm in their enthusiasm.
From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
