rector

[rek-ter]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rector ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a member of the clergy in charge of a parish in the Protestant Episcopal Church.

Roman Catholic Church. an ecclesiastic in charge of a college, religious house, or congregation.

Anglican Church. a member of the clergy who has the charge of a parish with full possession of all its rights, tithes, etc.

the head of certain universities, colleges, and schools.

Origin of rector

1350–1400; Middle English rectour < Latin rēctor helmsman, ruler, leader, equivalent to reg(ere) to rule + -tor -tor

Related formsrec·to·ri·al

[rek-tawr-ee-uh l, -tohr-] /rɛkˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr-/, adjectivesub·rec·tor, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for rector

cleric, headmaster, priest, pastor, clergyman, proctor, minister, principal, clergywoman

Examples from the Web for rector

Contemporary Examples of rector

Rector was attending a Sunday night game between the Yankees and Red Sox when he dozed off.
Sleeping Yankees Fan Files Worst Lawsuit Ever
Ben Jacobs
July 9, 2014
In fact, the suit tries to somehow find MLB liable for a still picture of Rector posted on a website called NotSportcenter.
Sleeping Yankees Fan Files Worst Lawsuit Ever
Ben Jacobs
July 9, 2014
Dalil Boubakeur, the rector of the Grande Mosquée in Paris, has warned of radicalism amongst young Muslim males in the city.
Downplaying Western European Anti-Semitism
Liam Hoare
January 29, 2013
Rector extrapolated to a national average: fine with running water, not so fine with such a small number of observations.
What Does it Mean to Be Poor?
Megan McArdle
September 17, 2012

Historical Examples of rector

The nave, then as now, was the charge of the parish; the chancel, of the rector.
Cameos from English History, from Rollo to Edward II
Charlotte Mary Yonge
The rector is old; when the house is mine, you will not be long without the living.
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
She spoke of the American church in Rome, and asked Hewson if he knew the rector.
Questionable Shapes
William Dean Howells
"It is coldish to-night, love," said the rector; and he put out the candle.
Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The Rector spoke with an obvious effort, got his hand off the page and closed the folio.
The Incomplete Amorist
E. Nesbit

British Dictionary definitions for rector

rector

noun

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 tithesCompare vicar

RC Church a cleric in charge of a college, religious house, or congregation

Episcopal Church Scottish Episcopal Church a clergyman in charge of a parish

mainly British the head of certain schools or colleges

(in Scotland) a high-ranking official in a university: now a public figure elected for three years by the students

Derived Formsrectorate, nounrectorial (rɛkˈtɔːrɪəl), adjectiverectorship, noun

Word Origin for rector

C14: from Latin: director, ruler, from regere to rule

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for rector

late 14c. (early 13c. in Anglo-Latin), from Latin rector "ruler, governor, director, guide," from rect-, past participle stem of regere "to rule, guide" (see regal). Used originally of Roman governors and God, by 18c. generally restricted to clergymen and college heads. Related: Rectorship.