noun
1.
Education.
a.
the head of a faculty, school, or administrative division in a university or college: the dean of admissions.
b.
an official in an American college or secondary school having charge of student personnel services, such as counseling or discipline: the dean of men.
c.
the official in charge of undergraduate students at an English university.
2.
Ecclesiastical.
a.
the head of the chapter of a cathedral or a collegiate church.
b.
Also called vicar forane. a priest in the Roman Catholic Church appointed by a bishop to take care of the affairs of a division of a diocese.
3.
the senior member, in length of service, of any group, organization, profession, etc.: the dean of lexicographers.
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English deen < Anglo-French deen, dean, Old French deien < Late Latin decānus chief of ten, equivalent to Latin dec(em) ten + -ānus -an
1300–50; Middle English deen < Anglo-French deen, dean, Old French deien < Late Latin decānus chief of ten, equivalent to Latin dec(em) ten + -ānus -an
Related forms
dean·ship, noun
00:10
Dean
is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
1.
James (Byron) 1931–55, U.S. actor.
2.
Jay Hanna ( "Dizzy" ) 1911–74, U.S. baseball pitcher.
3.
a male given name: from the Old English family name meaning “valley.”
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To dean
Collins
World English Dictionary
dean (diːn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | the chief administrative official of a college or university faculty |
| 2. | (at Oxford and Cambridge universities) a college fellow with responsibility for undergraduate discipline |
| 3. | chiefly Church of England the head of a chapter of canons and administrator of a cathedral or collegiate church |
| 4. | RC Church See also rural dean the cardinal bishop senior by consecration and head of the college of cardinalsRelated: decanal |
| Related: decanal | |
| [C14: from Old French deien, from Late Latin decānus one set over ten persons, from Latin decem ten] | |
| 'deanship | |
| —n | |
| Dean1 (diːn) | |
| —n | |
| Forest of Dean a forest in W England, in Gloucestershire, between the Rivers Severn and Wye: formerly a royal hunting ground | |
| Dean2 (diːn) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | Christopher. See Torvill and Dean |
| 2. | James (Byron). 1931--55, US film actor, who became a cult figure; his films include East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause (both 1955). He died in a car crash |
| dene or dean1 (diːn) | |
| —n | |
| (Brit) a valley, esp one that is narrow and wooded | |
| [Old English denu valley; see | |
| dean or dean1 | |
| —n | |
| [Old English denu valley; see | |
| dene or dean2 (diːn) | |
| —n | |
| dialect chiefly (Southern English) a sandy stretch of land or dune near the sea | |
| [C13: probably related to Old English dūn hill; see | |
| dean or dean2 | |
| —n | |
| [C13: probably related to Old English dūn hill; see | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
dean
early 14c., from O.Fr. deien, from L.L. decanus "head of a group of 10 monks in a monastery," from earlier secular meaning "commander of 10 soldiers" (which was extended to civil administrators in the late empire), from Gk. dekanos, from deka "ten." Replaced O.E. teoðingealdor. College sense is from
1570s (in L. from 1271).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
But what really engaged the audience was the antagonism between the frat and the dean.
Many of the students were killed by their own teachers, specifically the dean of agriculture and vice-dean of political science.
At last, their prognostications came true: the dean was dead.
Which the business school dean at the time said was an oxymoron.
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