superintendent

[soo-per-in-ten-duhnt, soo-prin-]

noun

1. a person who oversees or directs some work, enterprise, establishment, organization, district, etc.; supervisor.

2. a person who is in charge of maintenance and repairs of an apartment house; custodian.

3. a high-ranking police officer, especially a chief of police or an officer ranking next above an inspector.

adjective

1. superintending.

superintendent

/ ˌsuːpərɪnˈtɛndənt, ˌsuːprɪn- /

noun

1. a person who directs and manages an organization, office, etc

2. (in Britain) a senior police officer higher in rank than an inspector but lower than a chief superintendent

3. (in the US) the head of a police department

4. a caretaker, esp of a block of apartments

adjective

1. of or relating to supervision; superintending

Word History and Origins

Origin of superintendent¹

1545–55; < Medieval Latin superintendent- (stem of superintendēns ), present participle of superintendere to superintend; -ent

Word History and Origins

Origin of superintendent¹

C16: from Church Latin superintendens overseeing

Example Sentences

But then I met him — my building superintendent — and I noticed he had warm brown eyes that made me feel immediately seen.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“This is the reality, this is where we are in this country, where we are in this valley,” says the school superintendent afterward.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He was the building’s superintendent, but that felt too small a word for him.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

On the second floor, in the emergency response center, the plant superintendent, Masao Yoshida, was trying to get a handle on the situation.

Read more on Literature

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley wrote to officers between the ranks of chief inspector and chief superintendent earlier this week.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• administrator 
• chief 
• controller 
• curator 
• custodian 
• director 
• inspector 
• manager 
• supervisor