faculty
n. C / Un. the group of teachers or professors at a school, college, or university. It can also mean a natural ability to do something, like seeing or hearing.
n. the collective teaching and research staff of an educational institution; alternatively, an inherent mental or physical power. Often used to denote a specific department within a university structure.
The university faculty voted to change the exam schedule.
After the lecture, several members of the faculty stayed behind to answer questions from the graduate students.
Despite his advanced age, he remained in full possession of his mental faculties and continued to contribute original research to the department.
From Middle English faculte (“power, property”), from Old French faculte, from Latin facultas (“capability, ability, skill, abundance, plenty, stock, goods, property; in Medieval Latin also a body of teachers”), another form of facilitas (“easiness, facility, etc.”), from facul, another form of facilis (“easy, facile”); see facile. Doublet of facility.
When referring to a group of people, it can take a singular or plural verb depending on whether the group is seen as one unit or many individuals.