professor

[ pruh-fes-er ]

noun

1. a teacher of the highest academic rank in a college or university, who has been awarded the title Professor in a particular branch of learning; a full professor:

   a professor of Spanish literature.

2. any teacher who has the rank of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor.
3. a teacher.
4. an instructor in some art or skilled sport:

   a professor of singing; a professor of boxing.

5. a person who professes or declares particular sentiments, beliefs, etc.

professor

/ prəˈfɛsə; ˌprɒfɪˈsɔːrɪəl /

noun

1. the principal lecturer or teacher in a field of learning at a university or college; a holder of a university chair
2. any teacher in a university or college See also associate professor assistant professor full professor
3. a person who claims skill and instructs others in some sport, occupation, etc
4. a person who professes his opinions, beliefs, etc

Derived Forms

• ˌprofesˈsorially, adverb
• professorial, adjective

Other Words From

• pro·fes·so·ri·al [proh-f, uh, -, sawr, -ee-, uh, l, -, sohr, -, prof-, uh, -], adjective
• profes·sori·al·ism noun
• profes·sori·al·ly adverb
• nonpro·fes·sori·al adjective
• nonpro·fes·sori·al·ly adverb
• pseudo·profes·sori·al adjective
• subpro·fessor noun
• unpro·fes·sori·al adjective
• unpro·fes·sori·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of professor¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English from Medieval Latin prōfessor “one who has taken the vows of a religious order,” Latin: “a public lecturer,” equivalent to prō- pro- ¹ + -fet-, combining form of fatērī “to acknowledge, declare” + -tor -tor, with tt becoming ss

Word History and Origins

Origin of professor¹

C14: from Medieval Latin: one who has made his profession in a religious order, from Latin: a public teacher; see profess

Example Sentences

In 2010, Jianxin Ma, a professor of agronomy, and his collaborators built the first reference genome for soybeans on the widely studied Williams 82 variety.

From Science Daily

The impetus behind tariffs is often to level the economic playing field, such as to avoid letting China subsidize production to create monopolies, said Usha Haley, professor of international business at Wichita State University.

From Salon

Turkey’s poor economy is only adding to the problem, argues Murat Erdoğan, a professor of migration studies at Ankara University, who is no relation to the president.

From BBC

“I could feel it when I went into my classroom,” said the professor, whose research has found that people with political anxiety aren’t necessarily anxious in general.

From Los Angeles Times

Qumsiyeh, the professor at Bethlehem University, doesn't believe it will work.

From Salon

Related Words

• assistant
• educator
• faculty member
• fellow
• instructor
• lecturer
• principal
• teacher
• tutor