professor

noun

The most senior rank for an academic at a university or similar institution.

(US, Philippines, informal) A teacher or faculty member at a college or university regardless of formal rank.

(US, slang) A pianist in a saloon, brothel, etc.

The puppeteer who performs a Punch and Judy show; a Punchman.

The title for someone who holds the job of professor.

(informal, sometimes derogatory) A mock title for a person seen as pedantic or obsessive on a topic.

(archaic) One who professes something, such as a religious doctrine.

(obsolete) A practitioner, one who (publicly) practises or teaches an art or skill.

Roots

propro- · Latin · forth, forward fateor-fess · Latin · confess, declare

Synonyms & related words for professor

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of professor. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to professor

Explore words related to professor — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include prof, professoriate, professorate, lecturer, professorial, professorship, professorially, scholar. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Where does professor come from?

The word professor breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: pro-, from Latin pro (“forth, forward”); and -fess, from Latin fateor (“confess, declare”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.