dean

English Online Dictionary. What means dean‎? What does dean mean?

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diːn/, [diːn], [dĩːn], enPR: dēn
• Rhymes: -iːn
• Homophones: deen, dene, 'dine, Dean

Etymology 1

From Middle English den, deen (“dean”), from Anglo-Norman deen and continental Old French deien (modern French doyen), from Latin decānus. Doublet of doyen.

Noun

dean (plural deans)

1. 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).
2. A dignitary or presiding officer in certain church bodies, especially an ecclesiastical dignitary, subordinate to a bishop, in charge of a chapter of canons.
3. The senior member of some group of people.

   dean of the diplomatic corps - a country's most senior ambassador

   dean of the House - the longest-serving member of a legislature

Synonyms

• (Head of cathedral chapter): provost

Derived terms

Related terms

• decanal
• doyen (doublet)

Translations

Verb

dean (third-person singular simple present deans, present participle deaning, simple past and past participle deaned)

1. (intransitive, rare) To serve as a dean.
2. (transitive, Oxbridge, otherwise rare, informal) To send (a student) to see the dean of a college or university.

Etymology 2

Related to den.

Noun

dean (plural deans)

1. (Sussex, chiefly in place names) A hill.

Etymology 3

Noun

dean (plural deans)

1. (Northumbria, chiefly in place names) Alternative form of dene.

Anagrams

• Aden, Dane, Dena, Edna, Enda, Nead, aden-, ande, eDNA, nade

Basque

Noun

dean

1. inessive singular of de

Friulian

Etymology

From Late Latin decānus, from Latin decem (“ten”). Compare Italian decano, Venetan degàn, French doyen.

Noun

dean m (plural deans)

1. (religion) dean
2. doyen

Related terms

• dîs

Galician

Verb

dean

1. inflection of dar:
   1. third-person plural present subjunctive
   2. third-person plural imperative