lectern

American  

[lek-tern] / ˈlɛk tərn /

noun

1. a reading desk in a church on which the Bible rests and from which the lessons are read during the church service.

2. a stand with a slanted top, used to hold a book, speech, manuscript, etc., at the proper height for a reader or speaker.

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lectern British  

/ ˈlɛktən /

noun

1. a reading desk or support in a church

2. any similar desk or support

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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

Example Sentences

Maggie looked “nervous” as she crossed the stage to the wood lectern, noticeably trembling.

From Literature

One of these, a sinuous swirl of foliage at the base of the cathedral’s great lectern, tells us what the Art Nouveau architects of a later generation were looking at.

From The Wall Street Journal

Staff hastily arranged emergency kits and hard hats as props around the lectern ahead of her remarks on the shooting.

From The Wall Street Journal

He appears mentally unstable and physically feeble, clinging to his lectern as if it were a walker.

From Salon

Charred furniture, lecterns and smoky curls of carpet are piled around the entrance - its guts emptied, and debris cleared, in time for Friday prayers.

From BBC

Related Words

• rostrum