lectern
Americannoun
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a reading desk in a church on which the Bible rests and from which the lessons are read during the church service.
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a stand with a slanted top, used to hold a book, speech, manuscript, etc., at the proper height for a reader or speaker.
noun
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a reading desk or support in a church
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any similar desk or support
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lectern
1275–1325; earlier lectron ( e ), late Middle English lectryn < Medieval Latin lēctrīnum, derivative of lēctrum lectern, equivalent to Latin leg ( ere ) to read + -trum instrumental suffix; replacing Middle English letroun, lettorne < Middle French letrun < Medieval Latin lēctrum, as above
Explanation
When the President of The United States gives a speech, he often stands at a wooden lectern featuring the presidential seal. A lectern is a stand on which you can place notes or papers while you lecture. Lecterns often feature a sloped top and a little lamp to make reading from a paper or notes easier. The word lectern comes from the Latin word legere which means "to read." Lecterns serve another purpose for nervous readers — they offer a good hiding place for shaking hands.
Vocabulary lists containing lectern
The Contender
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The View from Saturday
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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.
See Examples For:
In an emotional resignation speech, delivered at a lectern outside his Downing Street front door, he said his party had asked "whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election".
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
So when Torres took the lectern in Garden Grove, he wasn’t just there as an elected official.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
That elicited plenty of interjections from the degree-holders below his lectern, to whom Borchetta responded, “Deal with it.”
From Slate ● May 20, 2026
That’s why Powell’s final turn at the lectern Wednesday is “so momentous,” said Julia Coronado, a former top Fed staffer and president of MacroPolicy Perspectives.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 25, 2026
The festival is in some ways like any other kind of conference, in that awards presentations, schedule changes, and various other routine business matters are transacted at a lectern on the stage.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
Vance and Walz cordially acknowledged one another before taking up their places behind their respective lecterns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2024
The two leaders gave opening remarks from lecterns on opposite sides of the stage.
From Reuters ● Nov. 18, 2023
There are lecterns on each level connected by a staircase with ornate details which were all crafted by hand.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2022
The boxy dark blue and dark paneled lecterns — there are many — are a symbol of the modern presidency.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2022
When books had become numerous the western library was taken in hand, and the lecterns altered into stalls, the single central bar being retained.
From The Care of Books by Clark, John Willis
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.
