# chair

Pronunciation: say "CHAIR" US /t͡ʃɛɚ/, UK /t͡ʃɛə/

## Noun

1. A piece of furniture for one person to sit on, having a seat, a back, legs or wheels, and sometimes armrests.
   - Simple: A seat for one person, usually with four legs and a back to lean against.
   - _He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes._
   - _The dining room had six matching chairs around the table._
2. The person who leads a committee, board, or meeting, or the position that person holds.
   - Simple: The person in charge of a meeting or committee, or that job.
   - _After the vote, she assumed the chair of the housing board._
   - _Disputes over the chair delayed the organization's first session._
4. A distinguished professorship at a university, typically held by a senior or eminent scholar.
   - Simple: A senior professor's position at a college or university, often a great honor.
   - _The university created a new chair in environmental law._
   - _She was appointed to the chair of medieval history last fall._
5. The office or official seat of a person with authority, for example a bishop or judge.
   - Simple: The official position of someone in power, like a judge or bishop.
   - _When the old bishop retired, three senior priests were quietly considered for his chair._
   - _He was raised to the chair of the diocese in spring._
6. A ski lift that carries riders on seats hung from a moving cable, or one of the lift's seats.
   - Simple: A ski lift with seats that hang from a moving cable, or one seat on it.
   - _The resort's new high-speed chair cuts the ride to the summit to six minutes._
   - _Snow had piled up overnight, so the lift operator brushed off each empty chair as it swung past the loading area._
7. Short for electric chair: a chair in which a condemned prisoner is executed by electric shock, or execution by this means. *(colloquial)* — Ellipsis of electric chair (“device used for performing execution”).
   - Simple: Short for electric chair: a chair used to execute a prisoner with electricity, or execution in this way.
   - _His lawyers fought to keep him from the chair._
   - _Several states abandoned the chair in favor of lethal injection._
8. The seating position assigned to a particular musician within an orchestra or one of its sections.
   - Simple: A musician's place and rank within a part of an orchestra.
   - _She auditioned for the principal chair in the cello section._
   - _Holding the first chair meant she played all the solos._
9. A work station assigned to a particular stylist or barber in a salon or barbershop.
   - Simple: A spot or station set aside for one worker in a salon or barbershop.
   - _After getting her license, she leased a chair at a busy salon._
   - _He built a loyal clientele from a single chair near the window._
11. A conveyance for a single passenger, either a sedan carried on poles or a light two-wheeled, one-horse carriage; a gig.
   - Simple: An old one-person ride, either a covered seat carried on poles or a small one-horse cart.
   - _The two bearers set down her chair outside the theater, and she stepped out without muddying her silk shoes._
   - _She summoned a chair to carry her to the evening's ball._

## Verb

3. To act as the chairperson of a meeting or gathering; to preside over the proceedings.
   - Simple: To lead a meeting or group as the person in charge.
   - _The senator agreed to chair the special committee on energy._
   - _She chaired the negotiations between the two unions._
10. To carry someone seated upon one's shoulders, especially to celebrate a victory or honor.
   - Simple: To lift and carry someone on your shoulders to celebrate a win.
   - _When the final whistle blew, the players chaired their captain around the stadium as the crowd roared._
   - _Supporters poured onto the court, eager to chair the coach who had finally ended the losing streak._

## Other meanings

- (noun) The most stable shape a cyclohexane ring can take, folded so that it roughly resembles a chair; other shapes include the twist-boat and the boat.
- (noun) A cast-iron fitting used on railways to support a bullhead rail and fasten it to the ties beneath.
- (verb) At a Welsh eisteddfod, to present the winning poet with a chair as the prize.

## Origin

It comes from Middle English "chayer", from Old French "chaiere", from Latin "cathedra" ("seat"), which came from Ancient Greek "kathedra", a combination of "kata" ("down") and "hedra" ("seat"). It is a doublet of "cathedra" and "chaise", and it largely displaced the native words "stool" and "settle", which now have more specialized meanings.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/chair (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).