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professor
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Derived from Anglo-Norman proffessur, from Latin professor (“declarer, person who claims knowledge”), from the past participle stem of profiteor (“profess”).
Pronunciation
Noun
professor (plural professors)
- The most senior rank for an academic at a university or similar institution.
- (US, Philippines, informal) A teacher or faculty member at a college or university regardless of formal rank.
- (archaic) One who professes something, such as a religious doctrine.
- 1660, William Petty, Reflections upon some Persons and Things in Ireland, p. 170/1:
- As for Religion, I have not said, much lesse meant irreverently of it, or of the Professors thereof.
- 1897, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers (transl.) The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, Introduction, p. v:
- This period in which Abraham the Jew lived was one in which Magic was almost universally believed in, and in which its Professors were held in honour;
- (obsolete) A practitioner, one who (publicly) practises or teaches an art or skill.
- 1592, Robert Green, The Thirde & Last Part of Conny-catching, Bodleian Library (Malone 575), London: John Lane. Reprinted in 1923, Harrison, G. B. (ed.), The Bodley Head Quartos III, Plainstow, Great Britain: Curwen Press, p. 29
- Two young men of familiar acquaintance [...] were one euening at a common Inne of this town (as I haue heard) where the one of them shewed his skill on the Virginals, to the no little contentement of the hearers. Nowe as diuers guests of the house came into the room to listen, so among the rest entered an artificiall Conny-catcher, who as occasion serued, in the time of ceissing betweene the seueral toyes and fancies hee plaid: very much commended his cunning, quicke hand, and such qualities praiseworthy in such a professour.
- 1592, Robert Green, The Thirde & Last Part of Conny-catching, Bodleian Library (Malone 575), London: John Lane. Reprinted in 1923, Harrison, G. B. (ed.), The Bodley Head Quartos III, Plainstow, Great Britain: Curwen Press, p. 29
- (US, slang) A pianist in a saloon, brothel, etc.
- 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage, published 2007, page 415:
- You could hear [...] pianos under the hands of whorehouse professors sounding like they came with keys between the keys.
- The puppeteer who performs a Punch and Judy show; a Punchman.
Derived terms
- absent-minded professor
- adjunct professor
- assistant professor
- associate professor
- distinguished professor
- extraordinary professor
- full professor
- institute professor
- James B. Duke professor
- little professor
- mad professor
- president's professor
- professorial
- professoriate
- professorly
- professor ordinarius
- Professor's Cube
- professorship
- regents' professor
- regents professor
- Regius professor
- regius professor
- research professor
- Sterling professor
- university professor
- visiting professor
Descendants
Translations
higher ranking for a teacher or faculty member at a college or university
|
teacher or faculty member at a college or university, regardless of formal rank
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Azerbaijani
Etymology
Internationalism; ultimately from Latin professor (“declarer, person who claims knowledge”).
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Noun
professor (definite accusative professoru, plural professorlar)
Declension
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Catalan
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin professōrem.
Pronunciation
Noun
professor m (plural professors, feminine professora, feminine plural professores)
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
- “professor”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
- “professor”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
- “professor” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “professor” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
Danish
Noun
professor c (singular definite professoren, plural indefinite professorer)
Declension
Descendants
- → Icelandic: prófessor
Further reading
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Dutch
Etymology
Inherited from Middle Dutch professoor, from Latin professor.
Pronunciation
Noun
professor m (plural professoren or professors, diminutive professortje n)
- professor
- Dr. Van Der Meulen is een gerespecteerde professor aan de Universiteit van Utrecht. ― Dr. Van Der Meulen is a respected professor at Utrecht University.
- De professor heeft zijn nieuwste onderzoek gepubliceerd in een internationaal tijdschrift. ― The professor published his latest research in an international journal.
- De professor is gespecialiseerd in moleculaire biologie. ― The professor specializes in molecular biology.
Synonyms
Derived terms
- professoraal
- professoraat
- professorschap
Descendants
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Latin
Etymology
Pronunciation
- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [prɔˈfɛs.sɔr]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [proˈfɛs.sor]
Noun
professor m (genitive professōris, feminine profestrīx); third declension
Declension
Third-declension noun.
Descendants
- → Asturian: profesor
- → Catalan: professor
- → Dalmatian: professáur
- → French: professeur
- → Turkish: profesör
- → Italian: professore
- → Occitan: professor
- → Romanian: profesor
- → Sicilian: prufissuri
- → Spanish: profesor
- → Venetan: profesor
- → Azerbaijani: professor
- → Belarusian: прафе́сар (prafjésar)
- → Bulgarian: профе́сор (profésor)
- → Czech: profesor
- → Danish: professor
- → Icelandic: prófessor
- → Dutch: professor
- → Egyptian Arabic: بروفيسور (brūfisūr)
- → English: professor, professour (archaic)
- → Esperanto: profesoro
- → Finnish: professori
- → Georgian: პროფესორი (ṗropesori)
- → German: Professor
- → Hebrew: פְּרוֹפֶסוֹר (profésor)
- → Hungarian: professzor
- → Indonesian: profesor
- → Javanese: profesor
- → Latgalian: profesors
- → Latvian: profesors
- → Lithuanian: profesorius
- → Macedonian: про́фесор (prófesor)
- → Maltese: professur
- → Mirandese: porsor
- → Old Galician-Portuguese: professor
- → Persian: پروفسور (profesor)
- → Polish: profesor
- → Kashubian: profesór
- → Russian: профе́ссор (proféssor), профе́ссоръ (proféssor) — pre-reform orthography (1918)
- → Serbo-Croatian:
- → Slovak: profesor
- → Slovene: profesor
- → Sundanese: profesor
- → Swedish: professor, professur
- → Ukrainian: профе́сор (profésor)
- → Vilamovian: profesor
- → Yiddish: פּראָפֿעסאָר (profesor)
References
- “professor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- professor in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, pre-publication website, 2005-2016
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Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
Noun
professor m (definite singular professoren, indefinite plural professorer, definite plural professorene)
- professor (the highest academic rank at a university)
Derived terms
References
- “professor” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
- “professor” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
Noun
professor m (definite singular professoren, indefinite plural professorar, definite plural professorane)
- professor (the highest academic rank at a university)
Related terms
References
- “professor” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Occitan
Etymology
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Noun
professor m (plural professors, feminine professora, feminine plural professoras)
- teacher (a person who teaches professionally)
Old Galician-Portuguese
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin professor.
Noun
professor m (plural *professores)
- (hapax legomenon) teacher; professor
- 1454, Michael de Villaboa, [Galicia Histórica]; republished as chapter 107, in Antonio López Ferreiro, editor, Galicia Histórica. Colección diplomática, Santiago: Tipografía Galaica, 1901–1903, page 469:
- (please add the primary text of this quotation)
- [Item que valla a clausula de payo que mandey screbir ao prior y maestro micael de villaboa payo romeu alfonsus frauli Rui de Santoeo e professor e prior fr.]
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Descendants
References
- Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022), “professor”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
- Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018), “professor”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
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Portuguese
Etymology
Etymology tree
Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese professor, borrowed from Latin professor.
Pronunciation
Noun
professor m (plural professores, feminine professora, feminine plural professoras)
- teacher (a person who teaches professionally)
- Synonyms: docente (chiefly in academic contexts), mestre (dated), educador (has an affectionate or poetic undertone)
- 2006, Sergio Lorenzato, Para aprender matematica, Autores Associados, →ISBN, page 19:
- O professor propõe a adição 8+5 e alguns alunos não conseguem efetuá-la; contudo, se ela for representada como 8 laranjas mais 15 laranjas, eles a executam com êxito.
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- (Brazil, soccer, slang) coach
- Synonym: treinador
Derived terms
- professorado
- professorar
- professorinho (diminutive, dated)
- professorzão (augmentative)
- professorzinho (diminutive)
Related terms
Descendants
- Kabuverdianu: profesor
- Macanese: (from professora) sora
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Swedish
Uzbek
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