Adon is afellow ortutor of acollege oruniversity, especially traditionalcollegiate universities such asOxford andCambridge in England andTrinity College Dublin in Ireland. The usage is also found in Canada and in the United States.
Like the termdon used forRoman Catholic priests, the termdon derives from the Latindominus, meaning "lord", and is a historical remnant of Oxford and Cambridge having started as ecclesiastical institutions in theMiddle Ages.[1]
The termdon is also used forschoolmasters atWinchester College, where as well as the term generally meaning "teacher", there are also "Div Dons", form masters, and "House Dons", housemasters;[2] and atRadley College, another boys-onlyboarding school modelled after Oxford colleges of the early 19th century.
At some universities inCanada, such as theUniversity of King's College and theUniversity of New Brunswick, a don is the senior head of a university residence. At these institutions, a don is typically a faculty member, staff member, or postgraduate student, whose responsibilities in the residence are primarily administrative. The don supervises their residence and a team of undergraduateresident assistants, proctors, or other student employees.[3][4]
In other Canadian institutions, such asHuron College and theUniversity of Toronto, a don is aresident assistant, typically an upper-year student paid a stipend to act as an advisor to and supervisor of the students in a university residence.[5][6]
The wordDon is used forfellows andtutors of acollege oruniversity, especially traditionalcollegiate universities such asOxford andCambridge inEngland.[7] Teachers atRadley, a boys-only boarding-onlypublic school modelled after Oxford colleges of the early 19th century, are known to boys as "dons".
Like thedon used for Roman Catholic priests, this usage derives from the Latindominus, meaning "lord", a historical remnant of Oxford and Cambridge having started as ecclesiastical institutions in theMiddle Ages. The earliest use of the word in this sense appears, according to theNew English Dictionary, in Souths Sermons (1660). An English corruption, "dan", was in early use as a title of respect, equivalent to master. The particularliterary application topoets is due toEdmund Spenser's use of "DanChaucer, well of English undefiled."[8]
At some universities inCanada, such as theUniversity of King's College[9] and theUniversity of New Brunswick,[10] a don is the senior head of a university residence. At these institutions, a don is typically a faculty member, staff member, or postgraduate student, whose responsibilities in the residence are primarily administrative. The don supervises their residence and a team of undergraduateresident assistants, proctors, or other student employees.
In other Canadian institutions, such asHuron College[11] and theUniversity of Toronto,[12] a don is aresident assistant, typically an upper-year student paid a stipend to act as an advisor to and supervisor of the students in a university residence.
AtSarah Lawrence College, faculty advisors are referred to as "dons".[13] Dons meet regularly with students to plan a course of study.
The "Don" is also an official mascot of the athletic teams of theUniversity of San Francisco,[14]Spanish Fork High School,[15]Arroyo High School, andAmador Valley High School.[16],title=Susan Miller Dorsey High School (Los Angeles, California),</ref>{{cite web|url=https://dorseyhs.lausd.org/
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Dominus".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 405.