Link Centre Dictionary

chair

UK/t͡ʃɛə/ US/t͡ʃɛː/ common informal slang uk

noun

1.

a seat for one person, with a support for the back

  • “he put his coat over the back of the chair and sat down”
2.

the position of professor

  • “he was awarded an endowed chair in economics”
3.

the officer who presides at the meetings of an organization

  • “address your remarks to the chairperson”
4.

an instrument of execution by electrocution; resembles an ordinary seat for one person

  • “the murderer was sentenced to die in the chair”

verb

1.

act or preside as chair, as of an academic department in a university

  • “She chaired the department for many years”
Synonyms
2.

preside over

  • “John moderated the discussion”
Synonyms

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”).

Phrases

  • Adirondack chair
  • almost fall off one's chair
  • banana chair
  • bar chair
  • barber chair
  • Barcelona chair
  • basket chair
  • bath chair

Related words

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.