Signifies a person who is above the other members of his organization. This title is common to many kinds of functions and honors. The Latin word decanus, which we render in our language as dean [ doyen ] ,  [1] takes its etymology from the Romans, who call one who commands ten soldiers a decanus , in imitation of which the French established the dixainiers . This usage is preserved among the municipal officers of the city of Paris. Additionally, among the Romans the term decanus is also used to mean a lower-court judge with jurisdiction over ten towns. There were also, in the palaces of Constantinople’s emperors, deans, decani, who commanded ten inferior officers: this is spoken of in the Theodosian Code and in that of Justinian.

The government of the church having been formed on the model of civil government, the church also had its deans ; they existed in several Greek churches, and especially in that of Constantinople. These first deans were secular; later on, ecclesiastical deans were established in church cathedrals and collegiate churches, and in monasteries: this usage migrated westward.

Secular organizations, and principally those of justice, have also established deans.

We shall explain more particularly the different kinds of deans in the following sections.

Note

1. French-English dictionaries from the eighteenth century would have sometimes preserved “doyen” in both languages, and in other cases used “dean”.