Chaired

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have taken on the responsibility of leading a meeting or gathering; to have directed the proceedings as the head of a group or committee; to have held a position of influence during an organized discussion or event
2. Assumed the role of presiding over a meeting and guiding the discussion among participants
3. Served as the head of a committee or gathering by managing the agenda and facilitating dialogue

Etymology: "Chaired" is the past tense of "chair," which is a verb formed from the noun. The noun traces back to ancient Greek "kathedra," built from "kata," meaning "down," and "hedra," meaning "seat." The Greek word named a seat, and it passed through Latin "cathedra" (where it also gave us "cathedral," the church that housed a bishop's seat) and Old French "chaiere" before arriving in Middle English as "chayere." English already had its own native words for seats, such as "stool" and "settle," but "chair" gradually displaced them in general use, leaving those older words with narrower senses. The verb sense of leading a meeting developed from the noun: to chair a meeting is to occupy the seat of authority from which proceedings are directed. The image is of the presiding person literally sitting in the seat of honour or command while others deliberate. Calling the leader of a committee "the chair" is the same shift, from the piece of furniture to the position it symbolised.

Synonyms: presided, led