dean
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dean¹
- /diːn/
- [diːn]
- [dĩːn]
Sounds like deen, dene, 'dine, Dean · Rhymes with -iːn
Where it comes from
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 deans
- 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). Lucretius versus the Lake Poets ' Nature I loved ; and next to Nature , Art . ' Dean , adult education may seem silly . What of it though ? I got some willy - nilly The other evening at your college deanery . And grateful for it ( Let's not be facetious!)[…]
-
A dignitary or presiding officer in certain church bodies, especially an ecclesiastical dignitary, subordinate to a bishop, in charge of a chapter of canons.
Similar: provost
- The senior member of some group of people. dean of the diplomatic corps - a country's most senior ambassador
verb deans · deaning · deaned
- To serve as a dean.
- To send (a student) to see the dean of a college or university.
dean²
- /diːn/
- [diːn]
- [dĩːn]
Sounds like deen, dene, 'dine, Dean · Rhymes with -iːn
Where it comes from
Related to den.
noun deans
- A hill.
dean³
- /diːn/
- [diːn]
- [dĩːn]
Sounds like deen, dene, 'dine, Dean · Rhymes with -iːn
noun deans
- Alternative form of dene
Dean⁴
- /diːn/
Sounds like dean · Rhymes with -iːn
Where it comes from
The surname or given name is of multiple origins, depending on context:
* As an English surname, from Middle English dene (“valley”).
* Also as an English surname, from the noun dean. Cognate to Deacon.
* Also as an English surname, from the personal name Deyne, a rhyming form of Reynald (see Reginald).
* As an Irish surname, variant of Deane.
* As a Scottish surname, from Dean Castle in Kilmarnock, itself from the noun meaning valley.
* Old English Dene (“Dane, Norseman”)
* Hebrew דין (“law, judgment”) and Arabic دين (“way of life, creed”)
proper noun Deans
- A title afforded to a dean.
- A habitational surname from Middle English from Middle English dene “valley”.
- A surname from Irish
- A surname from Scottish
- A surname originating as an occupation
- A surname transferred from the given name
- A male given name On the normier part of the spectrum are liberal influencers like Dean Withers and Harry Sisson, who have transferred the “debate me, bro” spirit of early YouTube to TikTok Live.
- A male given name transferred from the surname
- A male given name originating as an occupation derived from the title.
- A village and civil parish in Cumberland, Cumbria, previously in Allerdale borough (OS grid ref NY0725).
- A hamlet in Lynton and Lynmouth parish, North Devon district, Devon (OS grid ref SS7048).
- A hamlet in Trentishoe parish, North Devon district, Devon (OS grid ref SS6245).
- A hamlet in West Down parish, North Devon district, Devon (OS grid ref SS5042).
- A hamlet in Sixpenny Handley and Pentridge parish, east Dorset (OS grid ref ST9715).
- A hamlet in Bishop's Waltham parish, Winchester district, Hampshire (OS grid ref SU5619).
- A hamlet in Sparsholt parish, Winchester district, Hampshire (OS grid ref SU4431).
- A locality between Water and Weir, Rossendale borough, Lancashire (OS grid ref SD8525).
- A hamlet in Spelsbury parish, West Oxfordshire district, Oxfordshire (OS grid ref SP3422).
- A hamlet in Cranmore parish, Mendip district, Somerset (OS grid ref ST6744).
- Ellipsis of Dean Village: A neighbourhood, a former village in Edinburgh, Scotland.
- A small township in the Shire of Hepburn, central Victoria, Australia.
- A small community in the Musquodoboit Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada.
- An unincorporated community in Monterey County, California.
- An unincorporated community in Appanoose County, Iowa.
- A ghost town in Lander County, Nevada.
- A township and village therein, in Cambria County, Pennsylvania.
- A minor city in Clay County, Texas.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: doyen, vice-chancellor, bencher, bmoc, provost, colet, debt, rector, bishop, brigadier, archbishop, cleric, elder, religious, religion, director
Translations
Every language
noun senior official in college or university
| Español | decano |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 院長 /院长 yuànzhǎng |
| हिन्दी | संकायाध्यक्ष saṅkāyādhyakṣ |
| Kiswahili | mudiri |
| Português | reitor |
| Français | doyen |
| Deutsch | Dekan |
| Italiano | decano, preside |
| Ελληνικά | κοσμήτορας kosmítoras |
| Română | decan |
| Русский | дека́н dekán |
Talk about this word "dean." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dean. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. dean. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dean "dean." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dean.Cite this
@misc{dean_2026,
title = {dean},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dean},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
