English
dean
Dean comes from Middle English den, from Anglo-Norman deen (Old French deien), from Latin decānus ‘chief of ten’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdecānus1‘chief of ten’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400deen1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500den1‘dean’
- Englishearliest quotation 1955dean1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English dean
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1955, Rex Stout, The Next Witness: “All of the switchboard operators had been parties to…”.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdecānusWiktionary, English dean‘chief of ten’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400deenWiktionary, English dean
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500denWiktionary, English dean‘dean’
- Englishearliest quotation 1955deanWiktionary, English dean. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1955, Rex Stout, The Next Witness: “All of the switchboard operators had been parties to…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ ‘ten’
ten, century, cent, hundred, dick, decade, sen, hectare, tenfold, dinero, deca, 48 more
through Proto-Italic *dekəm ‘ten’
through Latin decem ‘ten’
dozen, decimal, dicker, deni, 20 more
through Old French deien
through Middle English den
Today it means
noun A senior official in a college or university, who may be in charge of a division or faculty (for example, the dean of science) or have some other advisory or disciplinary function (for example, the dean of students).
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “dean”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Latin decānus / dean