Definition of Dean
1. Noun. An administrator in charge of a division of a university or college.
2. Noun. United States film actor whose moody rebellious roles made him a cult figure (1931-1955).
Generic synonyms: Actor, Histrion, Player, Role Player, Thespian
3. Noun. A man who is the senior member of a group. "He is the dean of foreign correspondents"
4. Noun. (Roman Catholic Church) the head of the College of Cardinals.
Generic synonyms: Cardinal
Derivative terms: Deanship
Definition of Dean
1. n. A dignitary or presiding officer in certain ecclesiastical and lay bodies; esp., an ecclesiastical dignitary, subordinate to a bishop.
Definition of Dean
1. Proper noun. A title afforded to a dean. ¹
2. Proper noun. (surname habitational from=Middle English dot=) surname from (etyl enm) ''dene'' "valley". ¹
3. Proper noun. (surnames male given name) derived from the surname or from the title. ¹
4. Noun. a senior official in a college or university, who may be in charge of a division or faculty (for example, the ''dean of science'') or have some other advisory or disciplinary function (for example, the ''dean of students'') ¹
5. Noun. a dignitary or presiding officer in certain church bodies, especially an ecclesiastical dignitary, subordinate to a bishop, in charge of a chapter of canon ¹
6. Noun. the senior member of some group of people ¹
7. Noun. (Sussex) a hill (chiefly place names). ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Dean
1. to serve as dean (the head of a faculty) [v -ED, -ING, -S]
Medical Definition of Dean
1. 1. A dignitary or presiding officer in certain ecclesiastical and lay bodies; especially, an ecclesiastical dignitary, subordinate to a bishop. Dean of cathedral church, the chief officer of a chapter; he is an ecclesiastical magistrate next in degree to bishop, and has immediate charge of the cathedral and its estates. Dean of peculiars, a dean holding a preferment which has some peculiarity relative to spiritual superiors and the jurisdiction exercised in it. Rural dean, one having, under the bishop, the especial care and inspection of the clergy within certain parishes or districts of the diocese. 2. The collegiate officer in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, England, who, besides other duties, has regard to the moral condition of the college. 3. The head or presiding officer in the faculty of some colleges or universities. 4. A registrar or secretary of the faculty in a department of a college, as in a medical, or theological, or scientific department. 5. The chief or senior of a company on occasion of ceremony; as, the dean of the diplomatic corps; so called by courtesy. Cardinal dean, the senior cardinal bishop of the college of cardinals at Rome. Dean and chapter, the legal corporation and governing body of a cathedral. It consists of the dean, who is chief, and his canons or prebendaries. Dean of arches, the lay judge of the court of arches. Dean of faculty, the president of an incorporation or barristers; specifically, the president of the incorporation of advocates in Edinburgh. Dean of guild, a magistrate of Scotch burghs, formerly, and still, in some burghs, chosen by the Guildry, whose duty is to superintend the erection of new buildings and see that they conform to the law. Dean of a monastery, Monastic dean, a monastic superior over ten monks. Dean's stall. See Decanal stall, under Decanal. Origin: OE. Dene, deene, OF. Deien, dien, F. Doyen, eldest of a corporation, a dean, L. Decanus the chief of ten, one set over ten persons, e. G, over soldiers or over monks, from decem ten. See Ten, and cf. Decemvir. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)
Dean Pictures
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Lexicographical Neighbors of Dean
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