docente
teacher, lecturer
noun doh-CHEN-teh Common
Origin: Latin docens, docentis, present participle of docere (to teach).
Usage Note
Docente is epicene (same form for masculine and feminine): il docente / la docente. It is slightly more formal than insegnante and is the standard term in university contexts for a lecturer or faculty member. The plural is docenti. Do not confuse with dottore (a degree holder) or professore (a tenured professor).
Examples
"La docente ha spiegato la lezione."
Natural Translation
The teacher explained the lesson.

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