| rector | 1. A ruler or governor. "God is the supreme rector of the world." (Sir M. Hale) 2. A clergyman in charge of a parish. 3. The head master of a public school. 4. 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. 5. 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. Origin: L, fr. Regere, rectum, to lead straight, to rule: cf. F. Recteur. See Regiment, Right. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| rectorrhaphy | Repair by suture of a lacerated rectum or anus. Synonym: rectorrhaphy. Origin: procto-+ G. Rhaphe, suture (05 Mar 2000) |