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ex cathedra

American  
[eks kuh-thee-druh, kath-i-druh] / ˈɛks kəˈθi drə, ˈkæθ ɪ drə /

adjective

  1. from the seat of authority; with authority: used especially of those pronouncements of the pope that are considered infallible.

ex cathedra British  
/ ɛks kəˈθiːdrə /

adjective

  1. with authority

  2. RC Church (of doctrines of faith or morals) defined by the pope as infallibly true, to be accepted by all Catholics

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
ex cathedra Cultural  

  1. Descriptive term for an official pronouncement from the pope. Ex cathedra is Latin for “from the chair.” Roman Catholics believe that the pope speaks infallibly when speaking ex cathedra on questions of faith or morals, such as when Pope Pius XII declared in 1950 that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was physically taken up to heaven after her death.

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Figuratively, any authoritative pronouncement may be called “ex cathedra.”

Etymology

Origin of ex cathedra

First recorded in 1810–20, ex cathedra is from Latin ex cathedrā literally, “from the chair”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Popes wield such power that they can speak ex cathedra — literally, from the papal throne — to make infallible pronouncements on morality that the faithful must obey.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2025

The last time a pope issued an ex cathedra decree was in 1950, when Pius XII made the assumption of Mary into heaven an article of faith.

From Washington Post • Feb. 4, 2021

It is a conviction descended, ex cathedra, from Robert Penn Warren, in his spare masterpiece, “Tell Me a Story.”

From The New Yorker • May 20, 2019

Which Catholics believe in the primacy of the Pope's teachings, when he is not speaking ex cathedra?

From New York Times • Apr. 9, 2018

Reform of the ex cathedra sort was just then in the air.

From The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 13 by Rudd, John

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.