Dean

n.	1.	A dignitary or presiding officer in certain ecclesiastical and lay bodies; esp., an ecclesiastical dignitary, subordinate to a bishop. Dean of cathedral church the chief officer of a chapter; he is an ecclesiastical magistrate next in degree to bishop, and has immediate charge of the cathedral and its estates. Dean of peculiars a dean holding a preferment which has some peculiarity relative to spiritual superiors and the jurisdiction exercised in it. Rural dean one having, under the bishop, the especial care and inspection of the clergy within certain parishes or districts of the diocese.
	2.	The collegiate officer in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, England, who, besides other duties, has regard to the moral condition of the college.
	3.	The head or presiding officer in the faculty of some colleges or universities.
	4.	A registrar or secretary of the faculty in a department of a college, as in a medical, or theological, or scientific department.
	5.	The chief or senior of a company on occasion of ceremony; as, the dean of the diplomatic corps; - so called by courtesy. Cardinal dean the senior cardinal bishop of the college of cardinals at Rome. Dean and chapter the legal corporation and governing body of a cathedral. It consists of the dean, who is chief, and his canons or prebendaries. - Shipley. Dean of arches the lay judge of the court of arches. Dean of faculty the president of an incorporation or barristers; specifically, the president of the incorporation of advocates in Edinburgh. Dean of guild a magistrate of Scotch burghs, formerly, and still, in some burghs, chosen by the Guildry, whose duty is to superintend the erection of new buildings and see that they conform to the law. Dean of a monastery a monastic superior over ten monks. Dean's stall See Decanal stall, under Decanal.

Noun	1.	dean - an administrator in charge of a division of a university or college
	2.	Dean - United States film actor whose moody rebellious roles made him a cult figure (1931-1955) Synonyms: James Byron Dean, James Dean
	3.	dean - a man who is the senior member of a group; "he is the dean of foreign correspondents" Synonyms: doyen
	4.	dean - (Roman Catholic Church) the head of the College of Cardinals

DEAN, eccl. law. An ecclesiastical officer, who derives his name from the fact that he presides over ten canons, or, prebondaries, at least. There are several kinds of deans, namely: 1. Deans of chapters. 2. Deans of peculiars. 3. Rural deans. 4. Deans in the colleges. 5. Honorary deans. 6. Deans of provinces.

A per se, Grand Penitentiary, Holy Father, abuna, academic dean, ace, administration, administrator, antipope, archbishop, archdeacon, archon, archpriest, bellwether, bishop, bishop coadjutor, boss, canon, cardinal, cardinal bishop, cardinal deacon, cardinal priest, champion, chancellor, chaplain, chief, chief executive, chief executive officer, coadjutor, commander, curate, dean of men, dean of women, diocesan, doyen, doyenne, ecclesiarch, elder, eldest, exarch, executive, executive director, executive officer, executive secretary, father, first-born, firstling, fugleman, genius, guide, head, headmaster, headmistress, hierarch, high priest, higher-up, important person, kingfish, kingpin, laureate, lead, leader, magistrate, management, managing director, master, metropolitan, nonpareil, officer, official, older, oldest, papa, paragon, patriarch, penitentiary, personage, pilot, pontiff, pope, prebendary, prefect, prelate, president, prexy, primate, principal, prodigy, provost, rector, ruler, rural dean, secretary, senior, sire, star, subdean, suffragan, superior, superman, superstar, the administration, the greatest, the most, top dog, treasurer, vicar, vice-chancellor, vice-president, virtuoso, warden