faculty

noun

fac·ul·ty | \ ˈfa-kəl-tē

plural faculties

Definition of faculty

1 : ability, power: such as

a : innate or acquired ability to act or do man … how infinite in faculty— William Shakespeare

b : an inherent capability, power, or function the faculty of hearing

c : any of the powers of the mind (such as will, reason, or instinct) formerly held by psychologists to form a basis for the explanation of all mental phenomena

d : natural aptitude has a faculty for saying the right things

2a : a branch of teaching or learning (such as law, medicine, or liberal arts) in an educational institution

b archaic : something in which one is trained or qualified

3a : the members of a profession

b : the teaching and administrative staff and those members of the administration having academic rank in an educational institution an excellent mathematics faculty

c faculty plural : faculty members many faculty were present

4 : power, authority, or prerogative given or conferred The state has the faculty to define treason.

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about faculty

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for faculty

gift, faculty, aptitude, bent, talent, genius, knack mean a special ability for doing something. gift often implies special favor by God or nature. the gift of singing beautifully faculty applies to an innate or less often acquired ability for a particular accomplishment or function. a faculty for remembering names aptitude implies a natural liking for some activity and the likelihood of success in it. a mechanical aptitude bent is nearly equal to aptitude but it stresses inclination perhaps more than specific ability. a family with an artistic bent talent suggests a marked natural ability that needs to be developed. has enough talent to succeed genius suggests impressive inborn creative ability. has no great genius for poetry knack implies a comparatively minor but special ability making for ease and dexterity in performance. the knack of getting along

Examples of faculty in a Sentence

She's a member of the Harvard faculty. The school hired more faculty. a meeting with students and faculty She has a faculty for making friends. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Recent Examples on the Web

While a range of factors affect achievement, especially teacher quality, P.S. 38’s faculty give generous credit to their new math program. — Leslie Brody, WSJ, "New Math Curriculum Counts for This New York City School," 15 June 2019 Ohlone Middle School was one of three potential names the district’s board of trustees chose from following a monthslong process that involved input from the school’s students and faculty as well as the community at large. — Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, "New name, new chapter for San Jose middle school," 14 June 2019 Activities and field trips are designed to help students prepare for college classes, explore new interests, and connect with fellow students, peer mentors and the faculty. — Post-tribune Staff Report, Post-Tribune, "Community news," 14 June 2019 The couple were the first black faculty deans in Harvard's history. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN, "The Harvard law professor who represented Harvey Weinstein is speaking out against the university," 14 June 2019 Patty Limerick is faculty director and chair of the Center of the American West at the University of Colorado. — Patty Limerick, The Denver Post, "Limerick: Introducing two heroes — Kendrick Castillo and Roger Boisjoly — who need no introduction," 14 June 2019 His bill says college campuses must be open to speakers invited by the faculty or student organizations. — Mike Cason | Mcason@al.com, al.com, "New law says colleges must stay neutral on offensive speakers," 14 June 2019 Both Sullivan and Robinson remain law professors despite no longer serving as faculty deans. — Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, "Former Harvard dean, removed after defending Weinstein, speaks out for first time since ouster, condemns school," 14 June 2019 During the voyage, people should call the ship’s medical faculty and follow staff recommendations. — Lillian Reed, baltimoresun.com, "How many passengers got sick on cruises leaving Baltimore? The CDC has an answer for that and more.," 13 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'faculty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for faculty

Middle English faculte "power, ability, field of knowledge, branch of learning at a university," borrowed from Anglo-French faculté, borrowed from Medieval Latin facultāt-, facultās (Latin, "power, ability, opportunity, quantity available"), from Latin *faklis, earlier form of facilis "easy, accommodating" + -tāt-, -tās -ty — more at facile

Note: Latin facultās presumably developed from an original *faklitāts (via *fakl̥tāts > *fakiltāts > facultās), and hence is a doublet of facilitās "quality of being easily performed" (see facility), a derivative formed after facilis had assumed its attested form (with *-klis > -cilis). The difference in meaning between the two derivatives suggests the original adjective *faklis may have meant something like "possessing the power, able" (whence "easily done," conforming to other adjectives in -ilis).