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''provost'' ▫ᴱᴺ Entries

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''provost'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260331180822-00-⌔

provost - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Noun

provost (plural provosts)

  • One placed in charge: a head, a chief, particularly:
    • (religion, historical) A dean: the head of a cathedral chapter.
    • (religion) The head of various other ecclesiastical bodies, even (rare, obsolete) muezzins.
    • (religion) The minister of the chief Protestant church of a town or region in Germany, the Low Countries, and Scandinavia.
    • (UK, higher education) The head of various colleges and universities.
    • (obsolete) A ruler.
    • A mayor: the chief magistrate of a town, particularly (Scotland) the head of a burgh or (historical) the former chiefs of various towns in France, Flanders, or (by extension) other Continental European countries.
      • ✤ The repairs were completed in the summer of last year, more than ten months after the line had been closed, and the branch was re-opened on June 29, when Mr. T. F. Cameron, Chief Regional Officer, Scottish Region, received Provost J. S. Collin, of Eyemouth, at the station. The 12.42. p.m. train to Burnmouth was signalled out of the station by the Provost, after he had been introduced to the crew.1
  • A senior deputy, a superintendent, particularly:
    • (religion, historical) A prior: an abbot’s second-in-command.
    • (US, higher education) A senior deputy administrator; a vice-president of academic affairs.
      • ✤ The provost of the University of Massachusetts has reversed a decision by faculty personnel committees not to renew the contracts of two professors engaged in sex research.2
      • ✤ The princess, already a serious and diligent child, was given lessons on constitutional matters by Sir Henry Marten, the provost of Eton, and became aware even then that she should not show emotion and must maintain a certain reserve.3
    • (historical) A steward or seneschal: a medieval agent given management of a feudal estate or charged with collecting fees.
    • (obsolete, sometimes as ~ of Paradise or ~ of Heaven) A title of the archangel Michael.
    • (historical) Any manager or overseer in a medieval or early modern context.
    • (obsolete) A viceroy.
    • (obsolete) A governor.
    • (obsolete) A reeve.
    • (obsolete) The head of various Roman offices, such as prefect and praetor.
    • (historical) A constable: a medieval or early modern official charged with arresting, holding, and punishing criminals.
      • ✤ Here comes Signor Claudio, led by the provost
        to prison;        4
    • (military) An officer of the military police, particularly provost marshal or provost sergeant.
    • (fencing, historical) An assistant fencing master.
  • (UK, military slang, obsolete) A provost cell: a military cell or prison.

Verb

provost (third-person singular simple present provosts, present participle provosting, simple past and past participle provosted)

  • (UK, transitive, used in passive, obsolete, military slang) To be delivered to a provost marshal for punishment.
    • ✤ Around the time of the Rebellions of 1837 and the First Anglo-Afghan War, British servicemen spoke of being provosted.

Etymology

From Middle English, from late Old English prōfost, prāfost, from Late Latin prōpositus, variant of Latin praepositus (“[one] placed in command”). In some senses, via Anglo-Norman provolt; via Anglo-Norman and Old French provost (modern French prévôt). As a Central European ecclesiastical office, via German Propst, Danish provst, etc.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA: /ˈpɹɒvəst/, /ˈpɹɒvɒst/
    • ✤ (UK, military police): IPA: /pɹəʊˈvəʊ/
  • (US) IPA: /ˈpɹoʊvoʊst/, /ˈpɹɑvəst/
  • Audio (US): 🔊
  • Rhymes: (military police) -əʊ

Printed 2026-06-28.

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Footnotes

  1. 1950 January, “Re-Opening of the Eyemouth Branch”, in Railway Magazine, page 52: ↩

  2. 1982 August 21, Keith Beasley, “U/Mass Professors To Keep Positions Despite Controversy”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 6, page 3: ↩

  3. 2022 September 8, Stephen Bates, “Queen Elizabeth II obituary”, in The Guardian ‎: ↩

  4. c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], line 113: ↩

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