# preside

Pronunciation: US say "pri-ZYD" /pɹɪˈzaɪd/; UK

## Verb

1. To act as the chairperson or president of a meeting, ceremony, or organized gathering.
   - Simple: To be in charge of a meeting or event and keep it running.
   - _The senior partner agreed to preside at the firm's annual meeting._
   - _A retired diplomat presided over the lengthy peace negotiations._
2. To hold and exercise authority or control over people, affairs, or a domain.
   - Simple: To have and use power over a group, place, or situation.
   - _For decades the family matriarch presided over the estate and its many workers._
   - _Few leaders preside over such turbulent times without making enemies._
3. To serve as the featured solo performer at a musical or staged event.
   - Simple: To be the main solo performer at a musical event or show.
   - _Her uncle will preside at the organ during the Christmas Eve service._
   - _A young cellist presided at the bandstand all afternoon, playing solo pieces for the crowd in the park._

## Origin

From Old French presider, from Latin praesidēre ("preside"), which combines pre- ("before") with sedere ("to sit"). It displaced the Old English foresittan, which may have been a calque of the Latin.

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