professor

B1 Topic:Education & Learning

Also spelled p’fessor

US /pɹəˈfɛs.ɚ/ UK /pɹəˈfɛs.ə/ See IPA manual

Freq #1016

Meanings

1

noun
A teacher at a college or university.

My history professor gives the most interesting lectures.
2

noun
The highest rank for a teacher at a university.

After many years of research, she was finally made a full professor.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a teacher at a college or... prof

2 noun · the highest rank for a... prof prof.

Word family

Forms professors

Derived forms brofessornonprofessorprofessorateprofessordomprofessoressprofessoriatprofessoriateprofessorineprofessoringprofessorishprofessorlessprofessorlike

Related forms professorialprofestrix

Appears in

Phrases (7)

See all

appoint a professor
To officially give someone the position of professor

Verb + noun
fire a professor
To dismiss a professor from their position

Verb + noun
hire a professor
To recruit someone into a professorial role

Verb + noun
full professor
A professor at the highest academic rank, below no further tenure tier

Adjective + noun
visiting professor
A professor temporarily based at a university other than their own

Adjective + noun
associate professor
an academic rank below full professor and above assistant professor

Adjective + noun

Proverbs (1)

See all

Professors are absentminded

Etymology

From Middle English professor, professour, from Anglo-Norman proffessur and its etymon Latin professor (“declarer, person who claims knowledge”), from the past participle stem of profiteor (“profess”). By surface analysis, profess + -or.

*bʰeh₂- Proto-Indo-European professor,professour Middle English proffessur xno professor Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Education & Learning

External links

# professor

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /pɹəˈfɛs.ɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /pɹəˈfɛs.ə/
**Frequency rank:** 1016

## Meanings
1. A teacher at a college or university.
2. The highest rank for a teacher at a university.

## Examples
- My history professor gives the most interesting lectures.
- After many years of research, she was finally made a full professor.

## Derived Forms
- brofessor
- nonprofessor
- professorate
- professordom
- professoress
- professoriat
- professoriate
- professorine
- professoring
- professorish
- professorless
- professorlike

## Related Forms
- professorial
- profestrix

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *bʰeh₂-
- Root: professor,professour
- Root: proffessur
- Root: professor

## Etymology
From Middle English professor, professour, from Anglo-Norman proffessur and its etymon Latin professor (“declarer, person who claims knowledge”), from the past participle stem of profiteor (“profess”). By surface analysis, profess + -or.

## AI Etymology
Professor comes from Middle English professor, professour, from Anglo-Norman proffessur and its etymon Latin professor (“declarer, person who claims knowledge”), from the past participle stem of profiteor (“profess”). By surface analysis, profess + -or. In present-day English it covers a teacher at a college or university and the highest rank for a teacher at a university. The wider family includes derived forms such as brofessor, nonprofessor, professorate, professordom, professoress and related forms such as professorial, profestrix.

## Topics
- Education & Learning

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