chair
chair Lexical Profile
chair Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A piece of furniture designed for one person to sit on, typically consisting of a seat, a backrest, and four legs.
"She pulled up a wooden chair and sat down at the dining table."
The person in charge of a meeting, committee, or organization.
"The chair called the board meeting to order exactly at nine o'clock."
A recognized and endowed professorship at a university.
"He was honored to accept the chair of modern history at the university."
• verb
To act as the presiding officer of a meeting, committee, or organization.
"The senior partner was asked to chair the disciplinary hearing."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the head of a committee or organization, 'chair' is frequently preferred as a gender-neutral alternative to 'chairman' or 'chairwoman'.
• Rhymes for chair
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'chaere', from Old French 'chaiere', which derived from the Latin 'cathedra' (seat, bench), ultimately from the Greek 'kathedra'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.