Cathedra

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kəˈθiːdɹə/

Definitions

1. A ceremonial seat or throne used by a bishop or ecclesiastical authority in a church
2. A symbol of teaching authority that denotes the bishop's role within the church community
3. A formal chair or seat signifying the authority of a bishop, typically found within a cathedral or church environment

Etymology: The bishop's chair in a cathedral was named after the very thing that made it a cathedral. The Latin "cathedra" meant simply "seat," and it came from Greek "kathedra," which combined "kata," meaning "down," with "hedra," meaning "seat" or "base." The Greek sense was broader: a teacher's chair, or a throne. Latin used the word in the same spread of meanings, and it passed into English as a borrowing. Its most surprising connection is to an everyday English word. "Chair" and "chaise" are doublets of "cathedra," meaning they descend from the same Latin root but reached English by different routes. Ordinary seating and the grand carriage share a single ancestor with the ecclesiastical throne.

Synonyms: throne, chair