n. (Abbr. R.)
- A cleric in charge of a parish in the Protestant Episcopal Church.
- An Anglican cleric who has charge of a parish and owns the tithes from it.
- A Roman Catholic priest appointed to be managerial as well as spiritual head of a church or other institution, such as a seminary or university.
- The principal of certain schools, colleges, and universities.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin rēctor, director, from , rēctus, past participle of regere, to rule.]
rectorate rec'tor·ate (-ĭt) n.rectorial rec·to'ri·al (rĕk-tôr'ē-əl, -tōr'-) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
