Chairman
/ˈtʃeə(r)mən/noun
A person who presides over a meeting or an organization.
Did you know?The word has no occult origin, but its power comes from a medieval social reality: the chair was a visible sign of rank, so the office-name grew from the object itself.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
cæġer
“chair, seat, or sedan-like seat”
Middle English
ME
chaere
“chair or seat of honor”
14th Century
English
chair-man
“the man who occupied or presided from the chair of authority”
Modern English
English
chairman
“a person who presides over a meeting or board”