From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Dean \Dean\, n. [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}.]
1. A dignitary or presiding officer in certain ecclesiastical
and lay bodies; esp., an ecclesiastical dignitary,
subordinate to a bishop.
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{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. [Eng.]
{Rural dean}, one having, under the bishop, the especial care
and inspection of the clergy within certain parishes or
districts of the diocese.
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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. --Shipley.
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3. The head or presiding officer in the faculty of some
colleges or universities.
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4. A registrar or secretary of the faculty in a department of
a college, as in a medical, or theological, or scientific
department. [U.S.]
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5. The chief or senior of a company on occasion of ceremony;
as, the dean of the diplomatic corps; -- so called by
courtesy.
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{Cardinal dean}, the senior cardinal bishop of the college of
cardinals at Rome. --Shipley.
{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}.
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From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
dean
n 1: an administrator in charge of a division of a university or
college
2: United States film actor whose moody rebellious roles made
him a cult figure (1931-1955) [syn: {Dean}, {James Dean},
{James Byron Dean}]
3: a man who is the senior member of a group; "he is the dean of
foreign correspondents" [syn: {dean}, {doyen}]
4: (Roman Catholic Church) the head of the College of Cardinals
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