'Faculty' definitions:
Definition of 'faculty'
From: WordNet
noun
One of the inherent cognitive or perceptual powers of the mind [syn: faculty, mental faculty, module]
noun
The body of teachers and administrators at a school; "the dean addressed the letter to the entire staff of the university" [syn: staff, faculty]
Definition of 'Faculty'
From: GCIDE
- Faculty \Fac"ul*ty\, n.; pl. Faculties. [F. facult?, L. facultas, fr. facilis easy (cf. facul easily), fr. fecere to make. See Fact, and cf. Facility.]
- 1. Ability to act or perform, whether inborn or cultivated; capacity for any natural function; especially, an original mental power or capacity for any of the well-known classes of mental activity; psychical or soul capacity; capacity for any of the leading kinds of soul activity, as knowledge, feeling, volition; intellectual endowment or gift; power; as, faculties of the mind or the soul. [1913 Webster]
- But know that in the soul Are many lesser faculties that serve Reason as chief. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
- What a piece of work is a man ! how noble in reason ! how infinite in faculty ! --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Special mental endowment; characteristic knack. [1913 Webster]
- He had a ready faculty, indeed, of escaping from any topic that agitated his too sensitive and nervous temperament. --Hawthorne. [1913 Webster]
- 3. Power; prerogative or attribute of office. [R.] [1913 Webster]
- This Duncan Hath borne his faculties so meek. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- 4. Privilege or permission, granted by favor or indulgence, to do a particular thing; authority; license; dispensation. [1913 Webster]
- The pope . . . granted him a faculty to set him free from his promise. --Fuller. [1913 Webster]
- It had not only faculty to inspect all bishops' dioceses, but to change what laws and statutes they should think fit to alter among the colleges. --Evelyn. [1913 Webster]
- 5. A body of a men to whom any specific right or privilege is granted; formerly, the graduates in any of the four departments of a university or college (Philosophy, Law, Medicine, or Theology), to whom was granted the right of teaching (profitendi or docendi) in the department in which they had studied; at present, the members of a profession itself; as, the medical faculty; the legal faculty, etc. [1913 Webster]
- 6. (Amer. Colleges) The body of person to whom are intrusted the government and instruction of a college or university, or of one of its departments; the president, professors, and tutors in a college. [1913 Webster]
- Dean of faculty. See under Dean.
- Faculty of advocates. (Scot.) See under Advocate.
- Syn: Talent; gift; endowment; dexterity; expertness; cleverness; readiness; ability; knack. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'faculty'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- ability,
- ableness,
- absolute power,
- absolutism,
- adequacy,
- adroitness,
- appurtenance,
- aptitude,
- aptness,
- authority,
- authorization,
- bent,
- birthright,
- bump,
- caliber,
- capability,
- capableness,
- capacity,
- claim,
- cleverness,
- competence,
- competency,
- conjugal right,
- consciousness,
- constituted authority,
- delegated authority,
- demand,
- department,
- dexterity,
- discipline,
- dispensation,
- divine right,
- dower,
- dowry,
- droit,
- due,
- efficacy,
- efficiency,
- endowment,
- equipment,
- facility,
- faculties,
- fitness,
- flair,
- forte,
- function,
- genius,
- gift,
- inalienable right,
- indirect authority,
- inherent authority,
- instinct,
- intellectual gifts,
- intellectuals,
- interest,
- jus divinum,
- knack,
- lawful authority,
- leaning,
- legal authority,
- legitimacy,
- liberty,
- long suit,
- makings,
- members,
- metier,
- natural endowment,
- natural gift,
- natural right,
- nose,
- parts,
- penchant,
- permission,
- personnel,
- potential,
- power,
- powers,
- predilection,
- prerogative,
- prescription,
- presumptive right,
- pretense,
- pretension,
- privilege,
- proclivity,
- professorate,
- professordom,
- professoriate,
- professors,
- proficiency,
- propensity,
- proper claim,
- property,
- property right,
- qualification,
- quality,
- regality,
- right,
- rightful authority,
- royal prerogative,
- sanction,
- school,
- senses,
- skill,
- speciality,
- staff,
- strong flair,
- strong point,
- sufficiency,
- susceptibility,
- talent,
- talents,
- the goods,
- the say,
- the say-so,
- the stuff,
- title,
- turn,
- vested authority,
- vested interest,
- vested right,
- vicarious authority,
- what it takes,
- wits