Provost

How to spell provost

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce provost

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does provost mean?

1. nounA senior academic administrator who heads a college or ranks just below the president of a university.
2. nounIn Scotland, the elected head of a town or burgh council, comparable to a mayor.

Provost in a sentence

• The provost oversees every academic department on campus.

• The provost welcomed the visiting delegation to the town hall.

• Budget cuts were announced by the provost at the faculty meeting.

• A former councillor was elected provost of the burgh.

Where does provost come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word descends from the Latin praepositus, meaning 'a person placed in charge' or 'one set over others', formed from prae 'before, in front of' and ponere 'to place' (its past participle positus). In late Latin praepositus became propositus and then the worn-down provost, a title for the head of a religious or civic body. Old English borrowed it early as profost, the head of a cathedral chapter, and the form was reinforced after the Norman Conquest by Old French provost. From there it spread to mean the head of certain colleges and, in Scotland, the chief magistrate of a town, much like a mayor. The same Latin praepositus also gave English 'preposition', a word literally 'placed before' a noun, which is a useful reminder that the tricky middle of provost hides the idea of placing.

How the word is built

• pro- (in front of, in charge of)
• -vost (from Latin positus 'placed')