dean1
/diːn
/noun
1The head of the chapter of a cathedral or collegiate church.The statutes governing most English cathedrals give the dean and chapter together a considerable degree of independence from episcopal control....
- Now the dean and chapter of the cathedral has withdrawn its backing, after strong objections by residents.
- The plans are being led by the church's vicar, Canon Derek Jackson, a former dean of Bradford Cathedral.
1.1 (also rural dean, area dean) British A member of the clergy exercising supervision over a group of parochial clergy within a division of an archdeaconry.St David's was built for the Rev Gilbert Holmes, the Protestant dean of Ardfert and a member of the prominent local Holmes family, who had arrived in 1728....
- There are other important people in the diocese who have to be there too, such as the archdeacons and rural deans.
- The rural dean is appointed by the bishop to act as a channel of communication between himself and the clergy of the parishes which make up his deanery.
2The head of a university faculty or department or of a medical school.The revenue from those patents goes both to the two inventors and to their universities' deans, department chiefs, and many others....
- Gordon was also a major figure in university life, serving two terms as dean of the medical faculty, one term as vice principal, and on many committees.
- As to the first event, the letter from the President of the University seeks from its deans and department heads a statement of vision for their respective schools and departments.
Synonyms
faculty head, department head, head of faculty, head of department, college head, provost, university official;
head, chief, director, leader, principal, president, governor
2.1(In a college or university, especially Oxford or Cambridge) a senior member of a college, with disciplinary and advisory functions.His sister's married to the son of a head dean at Oxford University....
- The college dean subsequently emailed students expressing his great alarm at their dangerous actions.
- Bill Michael is the university's assistant vice president for student life and associate dean of the college.
Origin
Middle English: from Old French deien, from late Latin decanus 'chief of a group of ten', from decem 'ten'. Compare with doyen.
Rhymes
dean2
noun
Variant spelling of dene1.