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facultad
/fakuɫˈtað/
school department
Estudio en la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad Complutense.
I study at the School of Law at Complutense University.
formal
A division of a university or college specializing in a particular academic subject or group of subjects.
La Facultad de Ingeniería ofrece programas en robótica y inteligencia artificial.
The School of Engineering offers programs in robotics and artificial intelligence.
Mi hermana se graduó en la Facultad de Medicina.
My sister graduated from the School of Medicine.
In Spain and Latin America, 'facultad' refers to a specific academic department, not the entire university.
formal
The natural ability or power to do something; capacity.
Tiene la facultad de entender conceptos complejos rápidamente.
He has the faculty to understand complex concepts quickly.
Less common in everyday speech; often replaced by 'capacidad' in modern usage.
Law
formal
In law, the authority or power to act or make decisions.
El juez tiene la facultad de anular la sentencia.
The judge has the authority to annul the sentence.
Used in legal contexts to describe official powers or jurisdictions.
Collocations
facultad de letrasSchool of Humanitiesfacultad de cienciasSchool of Science
Synonyms
Pro Tip
Distinguish from 'capacidad'
Use 'facultad' for academic departments (e.g., Facultad de Medicina) and 'capacidad' for innate abilities (e.g., 'tiene capacidad para resolver problemas').
Gold Rule
Academic vs. General Meaning
Always clarify whether 'facultad' refers to a university department (most common) or a natural ability (rare). Context usually resolves ambiguity.
Word Origin
From Latin *facultas* ('ability, power, skill'), derived from *facilis* ('easy'). The academic sense emerged in medieval universities to denote specialized divisions of knowledge.
Usage Notes
In Spain, 'facultad' is the standard term for a university department. In some Latin American countries, 'facultad' may also colloquially refer to the entire university (e.g., 'Voy a la facultad' = 'I'm going to university'). Avoid this usage in formal contexts.
Word Breakdown
facult-
ability, power
root-ad
suffix forming abstract nouns
suffixDiccionario Español-Inglés