docent

noun

do·​cent ˈdō-sᵊnt  dō(t)-ˈsent 

1

: a college or university teacher or lecturer

2

: a person who leads guided tours especially through a museum or art gallery

Did you know?

The title of docent is used in many countries for what Americans would call an associate professor—that is, a college or university teacher who has been given tenure but hasn't yet achieved the rank of full professor. But in the U.S. a docent is a guide who works at a museum, a historical site, or even a zoo or a park. Docents are usually volunteers, and their services are often free of charge.

Examples of docent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

More space, staff and volunteer docents will make programs like preschool, summer camps and the Zoo Mobile, which brings live animals and zoo educators into local classrooms, accessible to more children than before. —Jennah Pendleton, Sacramento Bee, 9 May 2024

Throughout four days, find the installations scattered throughout the house, museum tours from docents and access to the garden, which is not usually open to the public. —Chris Richards, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

obsolete German (now Dozent), from Latin docent-, docens, present participle of docēre — see docile

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1