- (n.) A clergyman who has the charge and cure of a parish, and has the tithes, etc.; the clergyman of a parish where the tithes are not impropriate. See the Note under Vicar.
- (n.) A clergyman in charge of a parish.
- (n.) The head master of a public school.
- (n.) A ruler or governor.
- (n.) The superior officer or chief of a convent or religious house; and among the Jesuits the superior of a house that is a seminary or college.
- (n.) The chief elective officer of some universities, as in France and Scotland; sometimes, the head of a college; as, the Rector of Exeter College or of Lincoln College, at Oxford.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). rector. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/rector/definitions/2053416 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "rector" http://smartdefine.org/rector/definitions/2053416 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, rector, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/rector/definitions/2053416>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "rector" 27 May 2011. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/rector/definitions/2053416> |