Faculty Meaning
/ˈfæk.əl.ti/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe academic staff at schools, colleges, universities or not-for-profit research institutes, as opposed to the students or support staff.
nounA division of a university.
Sentence Examples
The faculty meeting adopted the dean's proposal.
He was at a loss as to which faculty to choose.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The university ____ voted to extend the semester by two weeks.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He is a respected member of the ____ at the university, where he teaches ancient history.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English faculte (“power, property”), from Old French faculte, from Latin facultas (“capability, ability, skill, abundance, plenty, stock, goods, property; in Medieval Latin also a body of teachers”), another form of facilitas (“easiness, facility, etc.”), from facul, another form of facilis (“easy, facile”); see facile. Doublet of facility.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason!
how infinite in faculty!"
— c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
"The preſent Argument is the moſt abſtracted that ever I engaged in, it ſtrains my Faculties to their higheſt Stretch; and I deſire the Reader to attend with utmoſt perpenſity; For, I now proceed to unravel this knotty Point."
— 1704, [Jonathan Swift], “Section IX. A Digression Concerning the Original, the Use and Improvement of Madness in a Commonwealth.”, in A Tale of a Tub. […], London: […] John Nutt, […], →OCLC, pages 169–170:
"It was some time before Johnstone recovered the full use of his faculties; his eyes unclosed but to stare fixedly upon the bank, which, however, was now unoccupied."
— 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXXIII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 273:
"I have used the notion of games so far as if it were familiar to most people. I think this is justified as everyone knows how to play some games. Accordingly, games serve admirably as models for the clarification of other, less well-understood, social-psychological phenomena. Yet the ability to follow rules, play games, and construct new games is a faculty not equally shared by all persons."
— 1974, Thomas S[tephen] Szasz, chapter 12, in The Myth of Mental Illness, →ISBN, page 201:
"Unless he has bi-ritual faculties, the Latin priest must baptize and confirm the Eastern rite person, whether infant or adult, according to the liturgical books of the Latin church ( canon 846 , §2 )."
— 1994, John M. Huels, The Catechumenate and the Law, page 41:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The university ____ voted to extend the semester by two weeks.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He is a respected member of the ____ at the university, where he teaches ancient history.