Cathedra
/kəˈθiː.drə/noun
A bishop's official throne or ceremonial chair; by extension, an authoritative seat or position.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Greek káthedra, meaning a “seat,” and it gave us the idea of a bishop speaking from the official chair of authority — the same root behind “cathedral.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sed-
“to sit”
Ancient Greek
Gk
kathedra
“a seat; a chair”
Latin
Lat
cathedra
“a seat, chair; especially a teacher’s or bishop’s chair”
Late Latin / Medieval Latin
Lat
cathedra
“the bishop’s throne or official chair”
Modern English
Eng
cathedra
“a bishop’s official chair or throne; an authoritative seat”