Pulpit

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpʊlpɪt/

Definitions

1. An elevated platform or lectern in a place of worship from which a minister or priest delivers sermons to the congregation
2. A raised platform in a house of worship from which sermons and religious messages are delivered to congregants by clergy members
3. A designated raised structure within a religious setting used for proclaiming spiritual teachings and delivering sermons by clergy to an assembly

Etymology: The raised platform in a church where a preacher stands has a name that once described something quite different: a stage for actors. The Latin "pulpitum" meant a platform or stage, and Romans used it for theatrical performances, the raised boards on which players stood above the audience. Medieval churches adopted the word for the elevated stand from which sermons were delivered, and English took it from Old French "pulpite" in the Middle English period, carrying the sense of a raised platform rather than anything specifically religious. The word has a curious sibling. "Pulpitum" and "polypus" are doublets, meaning two words descended from the same Latin or Greek root that entered English by different routes. "Polypus," the name for a growth or tumour, comes from Greek "polypous," meaning "many-footed," which is a reminder that the shared ancestry here is less about stages and more about the way the Greek and Latin ideas of "foot" and "platform" overlapped in the sense of something raised or standing.

Synonyms: lectern, platform