From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishrectorrec‧tor /ˈrektə $ -ər/ noun [countable] 1 RRCBOa priest in some Christian churches who is responsible for a particular area, group etc → vicar2 BOSEthe person in charge of certain colleges and schools
Examples from the Corpus
rector• Hostile reception: A rector turns his garden into a farm.• Remembering, the rector crossed himself.• A feeling of great peace descended upon the rector despite the preoccupations of the errand in hand.• The rector asserted that the first vote was to consider his case, not to approve his dismissal.• The rector felt suddenly weakened, as if the anger had seeped into his own bones, his own spirit.• The rector opened his door cautiously, and Barnabas dived into the barking throng.• He later was rector of two other Norfolk parishes and retired in 1979 after a heart attack.• The Coach House originally provided stabling for a wealthy rector who lived next door.Origin rector (1300-1400) Latin “governor, ruler”, from regere; → REGENT