decano
/deˈkano/masculine
The Spanish word for dean is decano.
decano refers to a senior official in a college or university. In academic contexts, it is common to see this term used in conjunction with la facultad (the faculty or department) to specify which area the dean oversees, such as el decano de la facultad.
Meaning: senior official in college or university (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular form is decano. The feminine singular form is decana. For a group of female deans, use the plural decanas, while decanos is used for a group of male deans or a mixed group of deans.
How do you pronounce it?
/deˈkano/
Did you know?
- The word decano shares an ancient root with the number ten, stemming from the Latin decem. This is because the term originally referred to a leader of a group of ten people.
- The term decano is used in the Spanish diplomatic corps to describe the head of the oldest embassy in a host country.
- A person described as el decano of a family is the oldest living relative, acting as the patriarch or matriarch.
Examples in context
- Sin vacilar, el decano elige la sabiduría infinita.Without hesitating, the dean selects infinite wisdom.This sentence shows the use of decano in a formal action.Tatoeba #1198340 by marcelostockle, translation #21315 by auxitt
- Aunque parezca mentira, uno de los estudiantes se levantó y le hizo un calvo al decano en lo que éste daba su discurso.Incredibly, one of the students stood up and mooned the dean right in the middle of his speech.This sentence illustrates a student's disrespectful behavior toward the decano during a speech.Tatoeba #592597 by Shishir, translation #592400 by darinmex
- El Decano de la Facultad de Medicina dará una conferencia mañana.The Dean of the Medical School will give a lecture tomorrow.
- El Decano se encargará de dar la bienvenida a los nuevos estudiantes.The Dean will be in charge of welcoming the new students.
- El decano de la facultad es muy amable.The dean of the faculty is very kind.
Example conversation
Two students are talking in the university hallway.
- Sofía¿Sabes dónde está la oficina del decano?Do you know where the dean's office is?
- MateoSí, está al final del pasillo.Yes, it is at the end of the hall.
- SofíaGracias, Mateo. Necesito entregar este documento.Thanks, Mateo. I need to hand in this document.
- MateoDe nada, Sofía. Espero que el decano te ayude.You're welcome, Sofía. I hope the dean helps you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dean” translations and entries decano, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries decano, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
