provost

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noun pro·vost \ ˈprō-ˌvōst , ˈprä-vəst , ˈprō-vəst , especially before another noun ˌprō-(ˌ)vō \

Definition of provost

1 :the chief dignitary of a collegiate or cathedral chapter

2 :the chief magistrate of a Scottish burgh

3 :the keeper of a prison

4 :a high-ranking university administrative officer

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Recent Examples of provost from the Web

Before arriving at UC Davis in 2009, Katehi served for three years as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

— diana lambert, sacbee, "UC Davis’ Linda Katehi returns to teaching, but she’ll be paid like a chancellor," 28 July 2017
A 3 p.m. email sent by interim provost and vice president of academic affairs David Borofsky to Loyola officials Friday stated 12 faculty members have voluntarily accepted buyout packages.

— wilborn p. nobles iii, NOLA.com, "Loyola University to cut 60 jobs in effort to cut costs," 7 July 2017
Roger L. Worthington will be the university's new chief diversity officer and will also serve as interim associate provost.

— carrie wells, baltimoresun.com, "University of Maryland names new chief diversity officer," 6 July 2017
Anjali Gupta was named to the dean's list at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. Robert Levinson achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average, earning a spot on the provost's list.

— michelle mullins, Naperville Sun, "Naperville People in the News," 5 July 2017
The provost marshal general's job is to handle incarcerations and investigations of those in the U.S. Army.

— dana branham, Cincinnati.com, "U.S. Army general to be honored with second star in Cincinnati as dad watches," 3 July 2017
Here's how the remaining chief executives compared: Lauren Robel, provost of IU's Bloomington campus, earned $407,000.

— ryan martin, Indianapolis Star, "Purdue president Mitch Daniels' pay is nearly half of IU president," 28 June 2017
Ezekiel Emanuel is vice provost for global initiatives, Diane v.

— aaron glickman, Fortune, "Obamacare Architect: The Real Victims of Repeal," 27 June 2017
An improving economy frequently translates to falling enrollment for community colleges, said Rich Haney, the college's provost, who is serving as interim president in the wake of Jerry Weber's departure.

— emily k. coleman, Lake County News-Sun, "Despite efforts to keep enrollment steady as economy improves, drops seen at College of Lake County branch campuses," 13 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of provost

Middle English, from Old English profost & Anglo-French provost, from Medieval Latin propositus, alteration of praepositus, from Latin, one in charge, director, from past participle of praeponere to place at the head — more at preposition

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First Known Use: before 12th century

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factotum, milliner, ostler, scrivener, tinker, webster, wordsmith

PROVOST Defined for English Language Learners

provost

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noun

Definition of provost for English Language Learners

: an official of high rank at a university
: the head of a college at a university
: the head of a Scottish town

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