Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “dean” come from?

Dean comes from Old French deen, from Old French deien, from Latin decanus, meaning a leader of ten, derived from Latin decem meaning ten.

dean (English): A senior official in a college or university, who...

Definitions

  1. A senior official in a college or university, who...

Ancestry of “dean”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchdeen—
2Old Frenchdeien—
3Latindecānus—
4Latindecemten; 10
5Latin-nus-an
6Proto-Italic-nos—
7Proto-Indo-European-nósCreates verbal adjectives from roots

Words derived from “dean”

  • deanery
  • deanship
  • subdean
  • archdean
  • deaness
  • subdeanery
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -nós →