Sedilia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A set of seats, typically arranged in a row, that are often found in a church, usually reserved for clergy during services
2. Fixed benches used in some church settings, mainly intended for the clergy to use while officiating or during ceremonies
3. A series of designated seating areas within a church, usually placed near the altar for use by ministers or priests during worship activities

Etymology: Sedilia are the stone seats set into the south wall of a church chancel, usually near the altar, where the clergy sat during parts of the service. The word is simply the Latin plural of "sedile", meaning "seat" or "bench", so English has borrowed a plural form and treats it as a singular-looking name for the whole set of seats. Latin "sedile" is itself built from "sedere", "to sit", the same root behind words such as "sedentary" and "sediment". The unusual thing is that English took the plural as its everyday form. Because the seats usually come in a row of three or four, the plural describes the arrangement itself, and the singular "sedile" survives mainly in specialist writing about a single seat. Nothing about the word's sense has moved far from its Latin meaning; it has simply narrowed to a single piece of church furniture.