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
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.
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
He appears mentally unstable and physically feeble, clinging to his lectern as if it were a walker.
From Salon • Dec. 19, 2025
Olson returned to the lectern with a new brief and a broader argument.
From Slate • Oct. 21, 2025
In something of a grand gesture, Caleb Williams stood at a lectern Wednesday to explain that excerpts from an upcoming book were old news.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2025
With Lander, he would take the lectern at next month’s gathering to decide their future.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
