Ambo

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈæm.bəʊ/

Definitions

1. A raised platform or lectern in a church from which scripture or sermons are read
2. An elevated stand used during religious services to read passages aloud
3. A church furnishing serving as a podium for reading sacred texts aloud

Etymology: Early Christian churches needed a raised platform from which scripture could be read to the congregation, and the Greek "ámbōn" supplied the name. It meant a rising ground or step, an elevation a speaker could stand on to be seen and heard. Latin took the word over as "ambō" in the Late Latin period, and English later borrowed that form as a technical term. The structure was often built in pairs on either side of the chancel, so the name stayed mostly within architectural and liturgical writing.