provost

American  

[proh-vohst, prov-uhst, proh-voh] / ˈproʊ voʊst, ˈprɒv əst, ˈproʊ voʊ /

noun

1. a person appointed to superintend or preside.

2. an administrative officer in any of various colleges and universities who holds high rank and is concerned with the curriculum, faculty appointments, etc.

3. Ecclesiastical.  the chief dignitary of a cathedral or collegiate church.

4. the steward or bailiff of a medieval manor or an officer of a medieval administrative district.

5. the mayor of a municipality in Scotland.

6. Obsolete.  a prison warden.

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provost British  

/ ˈprɒvəst /

noun

1. an appointed person who superintends or presides

2. the head of certain university colleges or schools

3. (in Scotland) the chairman and civic head of certain district councils or (formerly) of a burgh council Compare convener

4. Church of England the senior dignitary of one of the more recent cathedral foundations

5. RC Church

   1. the head of a cathedral chapter in England and some other countries

   2. (formerly) the member of a monastic community second in authority under the abbot

6. (in medieval times) an overseer, steward, or bailiff in a manor

7. obsolete  a prison warder

8. military a military policeman

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Other Word Forms

• provostship noun

Etymology

Origin of provost

before 900; Middle English; Old English profost < Medieval Latin prōpositus abbot, prior, provost, literally, (one) placed before, Latin: past participle of prōpōnere. See pro- ¹, posit

Example Sentences

He worked at Iowa State before entering administration at Columbia, where he rose to executive vice provost before taking the helm at ASU in 2002.

From The Wall Street Journal

The people making executive decisions continue to be mostly white men, said report co-author Darnell Hunt, UCLA’s executive vice chancellor and provost.

From Los Angeles Times

He spotted a potential target, a vice provost named Louis P. Nelson, tasked with community engagement, public service and academic outreach programs.

From Washington Post

“This is handled on the campus,” Kimbell wrote, “so you will need to let the president and provost know to ensure you will be considered appropriately for a teaching appointment.”

From Los Angeles Times

It comes from two dozen epidemiologists, pharmacologists, virologists, immunologists and policy experts, shepherded by Ezekiel J. Emanuel, vice provost of lobal initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania.

From Washington Post