cathedra

noun

ca·​the·​dra kə-ˈthē-drə How to pronounce cathedra (audio)
: a bishop's official throne

Examples of cathedra in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The nonprofit held an open house Sunday for its new boutique on the lower level of the cathedra’s Fellowship Hall, providing vulnerable women with low-cost or free clothing and other essentials. Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 1 Oct. 2024 The Orthodox communion has little choice but to engage this situation robustly, for the present patriarch of Moscow is on the brink of turning his cathedra into a slaughter bench, and himself into the accomplice of a war criminal. Tim Kelleher, National Review, 3 Mar. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cathedra.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin, chair — more at chair

First Known Use

circa 1797, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cathedra was circa 1797

Dictionary Entries Near cathedra

Cite this Entry

“Cathedra.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cathedra. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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