faculty-n; 4 Senses

Sense Number 1: an innate ability, mental or physical

Commentary: FACULTY[+quality][+ability][+innate][+physical/+mental]

Examples:
The author has possesses a great faculty for philosophical analysis.
Her grandmother's mental faculties have not diminished with age.
John has a faculty for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.
The faculty of smell is much more developed in dogs than in humans.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 1

Sense Number 2: professors in an academic institution

Commentary: FACULTY[+entity][+social][+group][+people][+teacher][+school][+university/+high_school]
NOTE: refers to -people-, not to institutions (see Sense 3)

Examples:
He's on the faculty at Princeton.
There were few tenured women on the faculty during that era.
Many of the faculty and students have signed the petition.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 2

Sense Number 3: a branch of a university

Commentary: FACULTY[+entity][+social][+institution][+educational][+department][+academic]
NOTE: refers to a department, part of an academic institution, -not- the teachers (see Sense 2)
NOTE: almost always of the form 'faculty of X' where X is an institution.

Examples:
John is the dean of the faculty of arts and sciences at a major university.
Mary received her diploma from the faculty of engineering.

Mappings:
WordNet 0.0 Sense Numbers: 2b

Sense Number 4: power or authority that is conferred

Commentary: FACULTY[+state][+authority][+conferred]
NOTE: often refers to an authorization given by a religious group.

Examples:
The church granted him the faculty to perform an exorcism on the child.
They stripped him of the faculty to perform mass.

Mappings:
WordNet 0.0 Sense Numbers: 4