Meaning

4 senses
  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).

    Dekan

    дека́нdekán

    an administrator in charge of a division of a university or college

  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.

    Dechant, Dekan

    благочи́нныйblagočínnyj

    дека́нdekán

  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

    a man who is the senior member of a group

  4. A hill.

Examples

18 sentences
  1. Dean can really put away the food.

    Дін і справді вміє розправлятися із їжею.

    ruДин и впрямь умеет расправляться с едой.

    deDean kann wirklich eine Menge verdrücken.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CP · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  2. The dean of my department wasn't much older than me.

    ruДекан моего факультета был ненамного старше меня.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · frpzzd · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  3. He used to be a professor, but now he is the dean.

    ruРаньше он был преподавателем, а теперь он декан.

    deEr war mal Professor, aber jetzt ist er der Dekan.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · hamsolo474 · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  4. The faculty meeting adopted the dean's proposal.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · mahdiye · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  5. Without hesitating, the dean selects infinite wisdom.

    deOhne Zögern wählt der Dekan unendliche Weisheit.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · auxitt · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
church dignitary:
Русский
By meaning 2
senior official in college or university:
church dignitary:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
senior official in college or university:
church dignitary:

Origin

From Middle English den, deen (“dean”), from Anglo-Norman deen and continental Old French

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

Related to den.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

plural: deans
Singulardean
Pluraldeans

regular

Synonyms

4 synonyms
Head of cathedral chapter:provost
Close in meaning
  • a man who is the senior member of a group:doyen
  • United States film actor whose moody rebellious roles made him a cult figure (1931-1955):James DeanJames Byron Dean

Word family

9 related words

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
dean — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto