Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

chair

/t͡ʃɛə/ noun

In Latin: sella, sēdēs, sedīle Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about chair at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A seat for one person, with a support for the back.
he put his coat over the back of the chair and sat down
The position of professor.
he was awarded an endowed chair in economics
The officer who presides at the meetings of an organization.
address your remarks to the chairperson

verb

Act or preside as chair, as of an academic department in a university.
She chaired the department for many years
Preside over.
John moderated the discussion

Origin

From Middle English chayere, chayer, chayre, from Old French chaiere, chaere, from Latin cathedra (“seat”), from Ancient Greek καθέδρα (kathédra), from κατά (katá, “down”) + ἕδρα (hédra, “seat”). Partially displaced native stool and settle, which now have more specialised senses. Doublet of cathedra and chaise.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word