lectern

[ lek-tern ]

/ ˈlɛk tərn /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR lectern ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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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

Words nearby lectern

lecky, leclair, leclanché cell, leconte de lisle, lect., lectern, lectin, lection, lectionary, lector, lectotype

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for lectern

In another photo pair, a crowd listens to a speaker at a lectern in a light-filled conference hall.
Japan's James Bond Villain Ghost Town|Nina Strochlic|August 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Guantanamo is not necessary to keep us safe,” he said, tapping at the lectern.
Congress Cooperates, Obama Pushes Hard, and Closing Gitmo Has a Chance|Daniel Klaidman|December 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When the court came to order, he approached a lectern and stood at attention.
From PTSD to Prison: Why Veterans Become Criminals|Matthew Wolfe|July 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Vicki Jackson, a Harvard Law professor, rises to the lectern and begins her remarks.
Justices Dance Around Procedure, but DOMA Is Still About Discrimination|Adam Winkler|March 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST

He was not projecting outward to a crowd like a professor at a lectern.
Election Night 2012: Fashion of Jubilation And Mourning|Robin Givhan|November 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Lectern takes the familiar form of an eagle, and is of bronze.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of St. Paul|Arthur Dimock
Raised clasps and bosses are only suitable for books that are expected to stand permanently on a lectern.
The Art of the Book|Bernard H. Newdigate
Lectern, a stand with a desk for a book from which the service is read in a church.
The Nuttall Encyclopaedia|Edited by Rev. James Wood
The Pulpit is seventeenth-century work, and the lectern is a memorial of Dean Butler (d. 1894).
The Cathedrals of Great Britain|P. H. Ditchfield
The screen, pulpit and lectern are all modern, and also the glass.
The Cathedrals of Great Britain|P. H. Ditchfield

British Dictionary definitions 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

lectern

noun

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Origin of lectern

Words nearby lectern

Words related to lectern

Example sentences from the Web for lectern

British Dictionary definitions for lectern

noun

Word Origin for lectern