the head of the chapter of a cathedral or collegiate church 教长,主任教师 ■(亦作 rural dean)(Brit.)a member of the clergy exercising supervision over a group of parochial clergy within a division of an archdeaconry (英)乡村教区司铎
the head of a university faculty or department or of a medical school (大学)教务长,系主任,院长,医学院院长 ■(in a college or university, especially Oxford or Cambridge) a fellow with disciplinary and advisory functions (学院或大学,尤指牛津或剑桥的)学监 ■the leader or senior member of a body 主任
语源
Middle English: from Old French deien, from late Latin decanus 'chief of a group of ten', from decem 'ten'. Comparedoyen