rector
Americannoun
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a member of the clergy in charge of a parish in the Protestant Episcopal Church.
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Roman Catholic Church. an ecclesiastic in charge of a college, religious house, or congregation.
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Anglican Church. a member of the clergy who has the charge of a parish with full possession of all its rights, tithes, etc.
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the head of certain universities, colleges, and schools.
noun
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Church of England a clergyman in charge of a parish in which, as its incumbent, he would formerly have been entitled to the whole of the tithes Compare vicar
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RC Church a cleric in charge of a college, religious house, or congregation
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Episcopal Church Scottish Episcopal Church a clergyman in charge of a parish
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the head of certain schools or colleges
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(in Scotland) a high-ranking official in a university: now a public figure elected for three years by the students
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of rector
1350–1400; Middle English rectour < Latin rēctor helmsman, ruler, leader, equivalent to reg ( ere ) to rule + -tor -tor
Explanation
A rector is someone with the authority to lead others in religious worship and services. Rectors conduct mass. This word originally applied to the leader of a government, but it has evolved to mean a different type of leader: a religious official with the authorization to lead church services and conduct various religious rituals and sacraments. This term is used mainly in Christian congregations. For members of the flock, the rector provides leadership and wisdom, helping them live as followers of their faith.
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.
See Examples For:
Rocha began his career as a math teacher and later became rector of Sinaloa Autonomous University.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
Among the major threats to Rocha Moya’s political survival was the outcry about the 2024 shooting death of his one-time chief political rival, Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda, a former lawmaker and university rector.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2026
The men behind the new law included Francis Orpen Morris, a naturalist who was rector of Nunburnholme, and Henry Barnes-Lawrence, the vicar of Bridlington, as historian David Neave explains.
From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026
Father Fred Wekesa, the rector of the Saint Augustine Basilica at Annaba where Leo will celebrate mass, said the pope's upcoming visit would give his small flock a "message of encouragement and solidarity".
From Barron's ● Apr. 13, 2026
Fie was rector of a rather posh boys’ school in Berlin.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
In 1431, the ecumenical Council of Basel ordered the deans and rectors of churches to expel "frivolities" and "profane abuses" from holy buildings, but implicitly allowed them to take place in the squares outside.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2024
University rectors also said they would work with police experts on more preventive measures to increase security around campus.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 22, 2023
University rectors have been bricked into their offices and graffiti still adorns the walls of most Greek universities.
From New York Times ● Oct. 9, 2022
The rectors of 20 Ecuadorian universities have signed a letter in which they “emphatically reject” the accusations against Guamán and call for “impartial justice” to be done.
From Science Magazine ● Oct. 28, 2021
The term is used in this general sense in certain rubrics of the English Book of Common Prayer, in which it is applied equally to rectors and vicars as to perpetual curates.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8 "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis" by Various
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.
