faculty

[fak-uhl-tee]

noun

plural

faculties 

1. an ability, natural or acquired, for a particular kind of action.

   a faculty for making friends easily.

   Synonyms: skill, potential, knack, aptitude, capacity

2. one of the powers of the mind, as memory, reason, or speech.

   Though very sick, he is in full possession of all his faculties.

3. an inherent capability of the body.

   the faculties of sight and hearing.

4. exceptional ability or aptitude.

   a president with a faculty for management.

5. Education.

   1. the entire teaching and administrative force of a university, college, or school.

   2. one of the departments of learning, as theology, medicine, or law, in a university.

   3. the teaching body, sometimes with the students, in any of these departments.

6. the members of a learned profession.

   the medical faculty.

7. a power or privilege conferred by the state, a superior, etc..

   The police were given the faculty to search the building.

8. Ecclesiastical.,  a dispensation, license, or authorization.

faculty

/ ˈfækəltɪ /

noun

1. one of the inherent powers of the mind or body, such as reason, memory, sight, or hearing

2. any ability or power, whether acquired or inherent

3. a conferred power or right

4. 1. a department within a university or college devoted to a particular branch of knowledge

   2. the staff of such a department

   3. all the teaching staff at a university, college, school, etc

5. all members of a learned profession

6. archaic,  occupation

Other Word Forms

• interfaculty noun
• profaculty adjective
• underfaculty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of faculty¹

1350–1400; Middle English faculte < Anglo-French, Middle French < Latin facultāt- (stem of facultās ) ability, power, equivalent to facil ( is ) easy ( facile ) + -tāt- -ty ²; facility

Word History and Origins

Origin of faculty¹

C14 (in the sense: department of learning): from Latin facultās capability; related to Latin facilis easy

Synonym Study

See ability.

Example Sentences

On social media, math faculty describe asking ChatGPT to devise tests where every answer is six, seven, 67 and so on.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Amid the protests, allegations of antisemitism surged on campuses and Jewish students and faculty protested violations of their civil rights.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

UC-wide faculty senate leaders are demanding to know whether there have been other campus disclosures.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The school’s faculty members strongly denounced the offering at a meeting this week, calling it “egregiously invalid,” “probably unconstitutional” and “antithetical to principles of academic freedom.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"This is a result of UBC Okanagan's research environment, where students and faculty work closely to solve problems with global reach."

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• department 
• institute 
• personnel 
• staff 
• university