private docent

noun

An associate professor (in a university) who has obtained a doctorate, written a habilitation thesis and given a lecture in the hope of becoming a full professor.

OriginGerman Privatdozent →
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Meanings

nounprivate docent (plural private docents)

plural private docents · alternative abbreviation priv. doc. · alternative abbreviation priv.-doc. · alternative abbreviation priv.doc.

  1. An associate professor (in a university) who has obtained a doctorate, written a habilitation thesis and given a lecture in the hope of becoming a full professor.

Origin

  1. GermanPrivatdozent
  2. Englishprivate docent

Calque of German Privatdozent. Doublet of privatdozent.

More words from German

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

private docent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/private%20docent

MLA

“private docent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/private%20docent. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “private docent,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/private%20docent.

Source: private docent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.