Definition of "deanery" [dean•er•y]

• The office, jurisdiction, or official residence of an ecclesiastical dean. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "As we cross the square to the north-eastern side of the church, we pass another gateway, which leads into the deanery, which is a fine specimen of architecture, and bears the monogram of its builder, viz. -- the letter R. a kirk, and a tun, [R. Kirkton] and we then enter at once into the"
• "In this diocese the cantonal districts do not bear their geographical names, as in all other dioceses, but the name of a saint which becomes the patron of the deanery: the Vichy deanery, for instance, is called the deanery of St-Raphael."
• ""Stay with us a month, my dear," said Lady Fawn, "just to let people know that we are friends, and after that the deanery will be the best home for you.""