Dean
The word dean has its origins in the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root dekm (ten), the origin of words such as decade, decimal, and decimate. From this PIE root comes Greek dekanos, deka (ten) and Latin decanus which first meant the commander of ten soldiers and later meant the head of ten monks in a monastery. From decanus comes Old French deien and 12th century doyen.
The word dean came to English in the early 14th century as an ecclesiastical title. It replaced the original Old English term teodingealdor. Try putting that on your office door!
The use of dean to refer to an administrative position in a university is from the 1520s. The use of dean to refer to someone who is the oldest member in terms of length of service in any constituted body is from the mid-15th century.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
The word dean came to English in the early 14th century as an ecclesiastical title. It replaced the original Old English term teodingealdor. Try putting that on your office door!
The use of dean to refer to an administrative position in a university is from the 1520s. The use of dean to refer to someone who is the oldest member in terms of length of service in any constituted body is from the mid-15th century.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
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