lectern
[ lek-tern ]
/ ˈlɛk tərn /
noun
a reading desk in a church on which the Bible rests and from which the lessons are read during the church service.
a stand with a slanted top, used to hold a book, speech, manuscript, etc., at the proper height for a reader or speaker.
Nearby words
- leclair,
- leclanché cell,
- leconte de lisle,
- leconte de lisle, charles marie,
- lect.,
- lectin,
- lectio difficilior,
- lection,
- lectionary,
- lector
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
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for lectern
lectern
/ (ˈlɛktən) /
noun
a reading desk or support in a church
any similar desk or support
Word Origin for lectern
C14: from Old French lettrun, from Late Latin lectrum, ultimately from legere to read
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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lectern
early 14c., lettorne, lettron, from Old French letron, from Medieval Latin lectrinum, from Late Latin lectrum "lectern," from root of Latin legere "to read" (see lecture (n.)). Half-re-Latinized in English in 15c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper