lectern
Americannoun
-
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.
noun
-
a reading desk or support in a church
-
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
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.
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
The hijinks continued when he stepped behind the lectern to speak and the teleprompter was not working.
From Los Angeles Times
During a recent celebration, from a lectern behind thick bulletproof glass in Des Moines, Iowa, last Thursday, he picked a curious way to celebrate the birthday of the United States.
From Salon
There were just two lecterns and two speakers at the news conference the leaders hosted, but two other parties hovered in the air.
From BBC
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.
