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Webster 1913 Edition

Rector

Rec′tor

(r?k′t?r)
,
Noun.
[L., fr.
regere
,
rectum
, to lead straight, to rule: cf. F.
recteur
. See
Regiment
,
Right
.]
1.
A ruler or governor.
[R.]
God is the supreme
rector
of the world.
Sir M. Hale.
2.
(a)
(Ch. of Eng.)
A clergyman who has the charge and cure of a parish, and has the tithes, etc.; the clergyman of a parish where the tithes are not impropriate. See the Note under Vicar.
Blackstone.
(b)
(Prot. Epis. Ch.)
A clergyman in charge of a parish.
3.
The head master of a public school.
[Scot.]
4.
The chief elective officer of some universities, as in France and Scotland; sometimes, the head of a college;
as, the
Rector
of Exeter College, or of Lincoln College, at Oxford
.
5.
(R. C. Ch.)
The superior officer or chief of a convent or religious house; and among the Jesuits the superior of a house that is a seminary or college.

Webster 1828 Edition

Rector

REC'TOR

,
Noun.
[L. rector, from rego, rectum, to rule.]
1.
A ruler or governor.
God is the supreme rector of the world.
[This application of the word is unusual.]
2.
A clergyman who has the charge and cure of a parish, and has the tithes, &c.; or the parson of an unimpropriated parish.
3.
The chief elective officer of some universities, as in France and Scotland. The same title was formerly given to the president of a college in New England, but it is now in disuse. In Scotland, it is still the title of the head master of a principal school.
4.
The superior officer or chief of a convent or religious house; and among the Jesuits, the superior of a house that is a seminary or college.

Definition 2025

Rector

Rector

See also: rector

English

Proper noun

Rector

  1. An English surname; derived from the German surname Richter.
  2. A city in Arkansas

rector

rector

See also: Rector

English

Alternative forms

Noun

rector ‎(plural rectors)

  1. In the Anglican Church, a cleric in charge of a parish and who owns the tithes of it.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 10, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers.
  2. In the Roman Catholic Church, a cleric with managerial as well as spiritual responsibility for a church or other institution.
  3. A headmaster in various educational institutions, e.g. a university.

Related terms

Translations

Catalan

Adjective

rector m ‎(feminine rectora, masculine plural rectors, feminine plural rectores)

  1. ruling

Noun

rector m ‎(plural rectors)

  1. rector
  2. dean
  3. ruler, director, head

Latin

Etymology

From rectus ‎(“past participle of rego ‎(“to direct”)”) +‎ -or.

Pronunciation

  • (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈrek.tor/, [ˈrɛk.tɔr]

Noun

rēctor m ‎(genitive rēctōris); third declension

  1. guide, leader
  2. director, ruler, master, governor
  3. tutor, instructor, teacher, mentor

Inflection

Third declension.

Case Singular Plural
nominative rēctor rēctōrēs
genitive rēctōris rēctōrum
dative rēctōrī rēctōribus
accusative rēctōrem rēctōrēs
ablative rēctōre rēctōribus
vocative rēctor rēctōrēs

Descendants

References

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin rector.

Adjective

rector m, f ‎(plural rectores)

  1. governing, directing

Noun

rector m ‎(plural rectores, feminine rectora)

  1. rector

Etymology

From Latin rēctor.

Pronunciation

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