professeur

French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin professor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pʁɔ.fɛ.sœʁ/ ~ /pʁɔ.fe.sœʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• (Quebec) IPA^(key): [pχɔfɛsɑœ̯ɹ]

Noun

professeur m (plural professeurs, feminine professeure or professeuse)

1. teacher

   Professeur de français, professeur de mathématiques.

   French teacher, Maths teacher.

2. professor

   Le conseil de faculté comprend les professeurs titulaires et a notamment pour fonction de présenter des candidats aux chaires vacantes.

   The faculty council comprises tenured professors and has the particular function of presenting candidates for vacant chairs.

Usage notes

• The word is often used for a female teacher as well, retaining masculine agreement or in such forms of address as Madame le Professeur (with feminine agreement). With apocope, la prof is quite frequent.

Related terms

• professer
• professoresse

Descendants

• → Turkish: profesör

Further reading

• “professeur”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.