■ noun
1》 (in the Church of England) the incumbent of a parish in which all tithes formerly passed to the incumbent.
↘(in other Anglican Churches) a member of the clergy in charge of a parish.
↘(in the Roman Catholic Church) a priest in charge of a church or a religious institution.
2》 the head of certain universities, colleges, and schools.
↘(in Scotland) an elected student representative on a university's governing body.
Derivatives
~ate noun
~ial adjective
~ship noun
Origin
ME: from L. ~ 'ruler', from rect- , regere 'rule'.