Sede
/ˈsiːdi/noun
A seat or ecclesiastical see, especially in the Latin phrase sede vacante, meaning during a vacancy of a papal or episcopal office.
Did you know?The famous phrase sede vacante describes the interval when the pope’s “seat” is vacant, a period governed by special rules before a new pontiff is chosen.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sed-
“To sit or settle in a fixed place”
Proto-Italic
PIE
*sedēs
“A seat or place of sitting”
Classical Latin
Latin
sedēs
“A seat, dwelling, residence, or official seat”
Ecclesiastical Latin
Latin
sede
“In or from the seat; used in expressions concerning an ecclesiastical see”
Middle English
English
sede
“A seat, see, or ecclesiastical jurisdiction; rare and learned”
Modern English
English
sede
“A rare ecclesiastical term, chiefly encountered in sede vacante”