provost

[ proh-vohst, prov-uhstin military usage, proh-voh ]

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.

provost

/ ˈprɒvəst /

noun

1. an appointed person who superintends or presides
2. the head of certain university colleges or schools
3. See convener
   (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. prəˈvəʊ military a military policeman

Other Words From

• provost·ship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of provost¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of provost¹

Old English profost, from Medieval Latin prōpositus placed at the head (of), from Latin praepōnere to place first, from prae- before + pōnere to put

Example Sentences

Before that, he served in various positions — including professor, chemistry department chair and provost — at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

From Washington Post

A previous version of this article misstated the last name of a provost and professor at Florida International University.

From Washington Post

Now that we have the basis of such a tool, the international community needs to commit to funding it, so it doesn’t have to beg in the middle of a crisis, says Ezekiel Emanuel, vice provost for global initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania.

From Time

The riots at Ole Miss had been followed by the exodus of the provost, several department heads, and distinguished faculty, as well as a dramatic drop in student enrollment from outside the state.

From Time

Two days later, six female professors at Northwestern sent a letter to the university provost expressing dismay at the hiring and requesting an “independent, transparent and third-party investigation” into Richardson’s accusations against Polisky.

From Washington Post

The filmmakers are my goddaughter Sara Ossana and her husband Mathew Provost.

From The Daily Beast

Previously, she was the president of the University of Pennsylvania and provost of Yale University.

From The Daily Beast

As Stanford provost, Rice dismissed, on budgetary grounds, a popular Latina administrator.

From The Daily Beast

Vice Provost for Research Dr. David Korn, who is leading efforts to craft the policy, says it will cover all university faculty.

From The Daily Beast

The UCL president and provost, Professor Malcolm Grant is “deeply saddened by these events.”

From The Daily Beast

Delgado, the editor, after repeated warnings from the Provost-Marshal, was at length arrested.

From Project Gutenberg

The rector of Saint-Pierre-aux-Boeufs relies upon him; he is the provost of that quarter.

From Project Gutenberg

The provost and his men bade him sit upon a bench, and the man then bound his feet as he had before bound his hands.

From Project Gutenberg

"Send up the provost brigade," was Grant's despatch sent to City Point.

From Project Gutenberg

Provost General Macy, of Massachusetts, established a guard to prevent depredations and to save the army from demoralization.

From Project Gutenberg