facultatea

Facultatea is a Romanian noun with two main senses. In everyday usage, it most commonly refers to a division within a university or higher education institution that groups together related study programs and departments, such as the Faculty of Medicine or the Faculty of Law. The word can also denote the mental or physical faculties or powers of a person, such as memory, reason, or physical ability. In a sentence, facultatea can mean either a specific academic division (the faculty) or the general notion of one’s faculties.

Etymology and form: facultatea derives from Latin facultas, meaning ability or capacity, and passed into Romanian through French as faculté, then facultate. The plural is facultăți, and the definite singular is facultatea, used for “the faculty.” When naming a particular division, it is common to capitalize the proper name, as in Facultatea de Medicină, whereas the generic sense uses a lowercase form.

Academic use: Within a university, a faculty is a principal administrative and academic unit that organizes curricula, conducts exams, and awards degrees. Each faculty is usually led by a dean and encompasses related departments and programs. Common examples include faculties of engineering, sciences, humanities, and social sciences. Students typically enroll in a specific faculty and pursue degrees such as licență, masterat, or doctorat, under the faculty’s governance.

Other sense: The term also appears in expressions about human capabilities, for example “facultățile mentale” or “facultățile fizice.” In medical or literary contexts, one might encounter phrases about losing or preserving faculties.