docent

noun

do·​cent ˈdō-sᵊnt  dō(t)-ˈsent 

1

: a college or university teacher or lecturer

2

: a person who leads guided tours especially through a museum or art gallery

Did you know?

The title of docent is used in many countries for what Americans would call an associate professor—that is, a college or university teacher who has been given tenure but hasn't yet achieved the rank of full professor. But in the U.S. a docent is a guide who works at a museum, a historical site, or even a zoo or a park. Docents are usually volunteers, and their services are often free of charge.

Examples of docent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

It will also be used to fund education programs, maintain the crossing’s nursery and train volunteer docents leading popular tours around (but not on) the crossing. —Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026

Costumed docents reenact pioneer life. —Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 24 Jan. 2026

This approach differs from the traditional docent model, which often centers on the transmission of information. —Devon Akmon, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2026

This approach differs from the traditional docent model, which often centers on the transmission of information. —Devon Akmon, The Conversation, 5 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

obsolete German (now Dozent), from Latin docent-, docens, present participle of docēre — see docile

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1