Rector leaves obese woman (4)
I believe the answer is:
lady
'woman' is the definition.
(lady is a kind of woman)
'rector leaves obese' is the wordplay.
'rector' becomes 'r'.
'leaves' is a deletion indicator.
'obese' becomes 'lardy' (lardy can informally mean fat).
'lardy' with 'r' removed is 'LADY'.
(Other definitions for lady that I've seen before include "See 2" , "Female peer" , "Lord's partner" , "Peeress" , "Woman, maybe titled" .)