Definitions for professor
prəˈfɛs ərpro·fes·sor

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. professor, prof(noun)

   someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university

Wiktionary(5.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. professor(Noun)

   A teacher or faculty member at a college or university.

2. professor(Noun)

   A higher ranking for a teacher or faculty member at a college or university. Abbreviated Prof.

3. professor(Noun)

   An honorific title for a higher ranking teacher. (Capitalised)

   Professor Plum or Prof. Plum.

4. professor(Noun)

   One who professes.

5. professor(Noun)

   A pianist in a saloon, brothel, etc.

Origin: From proffessur, from professor, from the past participle stem of profiteor.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Professor(noun)

   one who professed, or makes open declaration of, his sentiments or opinions; especially, one who makes a public avowal of his belief in the Scriptures and his faith in Christ, and thus unites himself to the visible church

2. Professor(noun)

   one who professed, or publicly teaches, any science or branch of learning; especially, an officer in a university, college, or other seminary, whose business it is to read lectures, or instruct students, in a particular branch of learning; as a professor of theology, of botany, of mathematics, or of political economy

Origin: [L., a teacher, a public teacher: cf. F. professeur. See Profess.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Professor

   A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences, a teacher of high rank. In much of the world, including most Commonwealth nations and northern Europe professor is reserved only for the most senior academics at a university, typically a department chair, or an awarded chair specifically bestowed recognizing an individual at a university or similar institution. A professor is a highly accomplished and recognized academic, and the title is in most cases awarded only after decades of scholarly work to senior academics. In the United States and Canada the title of professor is granted to most scholars with doctorate degrees or equivalent qualifications who teach in two- and four-year colleges and universities, and is used in the titles assistant professor and associate professor, which are not considered professor-level positions elsewhere, as well as for full professors. In countries on the northern European mainland, such as the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries, usage of professor as a legal title is limited much the same way as in most Commonwealth countries, that is, it is reserved for someone who holds a chair. In the United States, "professor" as a proper noun generally implies a person with a Ph.D. who holds a permanent position at the college or university level, regardless of rank.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'professor' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2017

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'professor' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2566

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'professor' in Nouns Frequency: #856

How to pronounce professor?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say professor in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of professor in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of professor in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of professor in a Sentence

1. Matshona Dhliwayo:

   A student of wisdom becomes a professor of life.

2. Wystan Hugh Auden:

   A professor is one who talks in someone else's sleep.

3. Sren Kierkegaard:

   Take away paradox from the thinker and you have a professor.

4. John Watson:

   If your professor wrote it, it's as near to the truth as you ever need to get.

5. Thomas Turner:

   I'm a professor, I'm a biologist but I didn't actually know what was special about this fish.

Images & Illustrations of professor

Popularity rank by frequency of use