provost

UK: /ˈprɒvəst/

US: /ˈproʊvoʊst, ˈprɑvəst/

US: (prō′vōst, prov′əst or, esp. in military usage, prō′vō)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

pro•vost /ˈproʊvoʊst, ˈprɑvəst/   n. [countable]

1. Education a high-ranking administrative officer of some colleges and universities.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

pro•vost  (prō′vōst, prov′əst or, esp. in military usage, prō′vō), n. 

1. a person appointed to superintend or preside.
2. Education an administrative officer in any of various colleges and universities who holds high rank and is concerned with the curriculum, faculty appointments, etc.
3. Religion [Eccles.] the chief dignitary of a cathedral or collegiate church.
4. Medieval History, World History the steward or bailiff of a medieval manor or an officer of a medieval administrative district.
5. Government the mayor of a municipality in Scotland.
6. [Obs.] a prison warden.

• Medieval Latin prōpositus abbot, prior, provost, literally, (one) placed before, Latin: past participle of prōpōnere. See pro-¹, posit
• bef. 900; Middle English; Old English profost

pro′vost•ship′, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

provost / ˈprɒvəst/ noun

1. the head of certain university colleges or schools
2. (in Scotland) the chairperson and civic head of certain district councils or (formerly) of a burgh council
   Compare convener2
3. the senior dignitary of one of the more recent cathedral foundations
4. the head of a cathedral chapter in England and some other countries
5. (formerly) the member of a monastic community second in authority under the abbot
6. (in medieval times) an overseer, steward, or bailiff in a manor

Etymology: Old English profost head of a chapter, reinforced in Middle English by Anglo-Norman French provost, from Medieval Latin prōpositus, synonym of Latin praepositus chief, head