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
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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The Fault in Our Stars
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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.
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
By 2024, Harvard economics professor Greg Mankiw said that Powell’s caution at the lectern made the press conferences a waste of time.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 25, 2026
Trump addressed the executives from a lectern on a makeshift dais a few feet away from them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026
The prime minister will take to the Downing Street lectern this morning, after another extraordinary weekend of diplomatic turmoil prompted by US President Donald Trump.
From BBC • Jan. 18, 2026
Someone up there, above the alternating moss-dry and grease-slick heads of the students rowed before me, was making announcements from a lectern on which a dim light shone.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
