Faculty
/ˈfæk.əl.ti/noun
An ability, power, or department within an institution such as a university.
Did you know?Faculty comes from Latin *facultas*, meaning “ability, power, opportunity,” from *facilis* (“easy”), so the word’s oldest energy is about what can be done — not what is taught.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheh₁-
“to do, put, set”
Latin
Latin
facere
“to do, make”
Latin
Latin
facilis
“easy to do, easy”
Latin
Latin
facultas
“ability, power, opportunity, means”
Old French
Old French
faculté
“ability, capacity; branch of study”
Middle English
English
faculte
“ability, power; a division of learning”
Modern English
English
faculty
“an ability, power, or academic department”
Explore more surprising origins