Glossary
Cambridge has its own names for things, which this page attempts to clarify. A much more extensive dictionary can be found here.
Master
Head of a college, for most colleges. Some colleges use the term ‘Warden’, ‘President’ or ‘Director’ instead. Confusingly, yet other colleges have both a Master and a President, where the President is the Master’s deputy.
Black tie
This term indicates the following items of clothing: Black dinner suit; white dress shirt; black bow tie and black shoes. This clothing can be hired from a number of Cambridge outfitters. For ‘black tie’ events, women wear formal evening dress.
Bands (part of formal dress for graduation etc.)
a special white linen necktie worn on some formal University occasions.
Combination Room, CR (place)
a common room (some colleges have separate combination rooms for junior members, postgraduate students and fellows).
Congregation (of the Regent House)
a meeting at which formal University business is conducted, and degrees conferred.
Division of term
the half-way point of the term (q.v.).
Easter term
The Easter Term shall begin on 10 April and shall consist of seventy days ending on 18 June, provided that in any year in which full Easter Term begins on or after 22 April the Easter Term shall begin on 17 April and end on 25 June.
Fellow
a member of the governing body of a college, usually engaged in teaching or research within the University.
General Admission
special Congregations (q.v.) held at the end of June each year, at which most new graduates ‘proceed’ to their first degree.
Gown
traditional academical robes still worn on formal occasions. There are many variants, depending on the wearer’s college and degree or status.
Hood
these are worn with academical gowns in College Chapel and at the Senate House on formal occasions. Although descended from medieval monastic hoods, they are never worn on the head, but draped down the wearer’s back.
In Statu Pupillari
a person in statu pupillari is defined as any member of the University who has not been admitted to some office in the University, to a Fellowship or office of a College, or to a degree which qualifies the holder for membership of the Senate, and is of less than three and a half years’ standing from admission to his or her first degree.
Lent term
The Lent Term shall begin on 5 January and shall consist of eighty days, ending on 25 March or in any leap year on 24 March.
Long vacation
the summer break between one academical year and the next.
Matriculation
formal enrolment in the University.
Michaelmas term
The Michaelmas Term shall begin on 1 October and shall consist of eighty days, ending on 19 December.
Praelector
the Fellow who ensures members of his/her college are duly matriculated (q.v.), and presents them
for admission to degrees.
Scarlet
term for festal robes (see gowns) worn on special days in the University Calendar.
Senior Combination Room
common room for fellows and other senior members of a college.
Supervision
individual or small-group teaching of undergraduates, advising of research students.
Supervisor
a teacher providing supervisions.
Term
extension of full term, with periods for private study at each side, during which the university is reckoned to be fully functional for official purposes. Term, to keep – to be resident within the precincts of the University for the prescribed number of days during a term, a traditional requirement for undergraduate students.
Tripos
a University examination leading to an honours B.A.
Tutor
a Fellow responsible for the welfare (personal, social, moral, legal, but not usually academical) and discipline of a group of students in his/her College, and/or for admissions, allocation of rooms etc.
Vice-Chancellor
the resident and active administrative head of the University.
Visitor
a person of eminence and repute to whom appeal is to be addressed in case of disputed questions on which the Governing Body of a college cannot reach a satisfactory decision by internal statutory procedure.