rector

C2+ Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives

US /ˈrɛktɚ/ UK /ˈrɛktə/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a clergyman in charge of a parish or head of an institution

The rector welcomed the new parishioners warmly.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a clergyman in charge of a... parson vicar priest clergyman minister headmaster principal

Word family

Derived forms rectoraterectorshiprectoryrectorial

Related forms rectify rectitude direct correct

Simplified etymology

Rector ultimately comes from Latin regere, “to govern or rule.” Recorded in Middle English, it originally meant “governor.”

Etymology

From Latin rector ('ruler, governor, guide'), from regere ('to rule, direct, keep straight'), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ('to straighten, direct').

rector Latin regere Latin *h₃reǵ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary

External links

# rector

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈrɛktɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈrɛktə/

## Meanings
1. a clergyman in charge of a parish or head of an institution

## Examples
- The rector welcomed the new parishioners warmly.

## Synonyms
- parson
- vicar
- priest
- clergyman
- minister
- headmaster
- principal

## Derived Forms
- rectorate
- rectorship
- rectory
- rectorial

## Related Forms
- rectify
- rectitude
- direct
- correct

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: rector
- Root: regere
- Root: *h₃reǵ-

## Etymology
From Latin rector ('ruler, governor, guide'), from regere ('to rule, direct, keep straight'), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ('to straighten, direct').

## AI Etymology
Rector comes from Latin rector ('ruler, governor, guide'), from regere ('to rule, direct, keep straight'), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ('to straighten, direct'). The historical chain includes Latin rector, Latin regere, and Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ-. The quoted older senses, "ruler, governor, guide", "to rule, direct, keep straight", and "to straighten, direct", supply the semantic anchors for rector. The formation is best read as borrowed: the word rector carries its older form-history into a compact English lexical shape. In present English it is used as a noun, "a clergyman in charge of a parish or head of an institution". English derivatives include rectorate, rectorship, rectory, and rectorial; related English forms include rectify, rectitude, direct, and correct. The result is a noun whose etymology preserves both the older form and the later English specialization.

## Topics
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- General Vocabulary

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