Kathedra

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A ceremonial chair or throne used by a bishop or other high-ranking ecclesiastical official as a symbol of authority ; the official seat or chair representing episcopal jurisdiction within a cathedral or church ; a raised platform or seat from which religious teachings or sermons are delivered
2. The distinctive throne or seat marking the bishop’s official authority in a church setting ; the chair or symbol denoting a cleric’s governing position in ecclesiastical hierarchy ; a pulpit or lectern-like structure used for preaching or formal addresses within a religious building
3. An episcopal chair signifying the governing power of a bishop in a cathedral ; a primary seat indicating religious and administrative authority in a church ; a stand or platform for clerical or religious instruction and proclamation within sacred spaces

Etymology: "Kathedra" is the Greek for "seat," built from "kata" ("down") and "hedra" ("seat" or "base"), the same root found in "cathedral," a church containing a bishop's seat. The word passed into Latin as "cathedra," meaning a chair, and it was in Latin that its specialized sense of a bishop's throne took shape. English borrowed the word directly, and it was used in English to describe that same ecclesiastical seat. The Greek "hedra" also appears in words such as "polyhedron" (many faces) and "exhedra," a semicircular bench or niche in ancient architecture. The shared root reflects the basic idea of a sitting place or a base, which is why a mathematical solid and a bishop's throne both trace back to the same ancient word.

Synonyms: cathedra, bishop's throne, episcopal seat