pew

[pyoo]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pew ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

(in a church) one of a number of fixed, benchlike seats with backs, accessible by aisles, for the use of the congregation.

an enclosed seat in a church, or an enclosure with seats, usually reserved for a family or other group of worshipers.

those occupying pews; congregation.

Origin of pew

1350–1400; Middle English puwe < Middle French puie balcony < Latin podia, plural (taken as singular) of podium balcony. See podium

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for pew

seat, stall, slip, bench

Examples from the Web for pew

Contemporary Examples of pew

According to Pew, 14 of the 20 countries in the Middle East and North Africa have blasphemy laws.
In Defense of Blasphemy
Michael Tomasky
January 9, 2015
Have a look at this telling research from Pew on blasphemy and apostasy laws around the world.
In Defense of Blasphemy
Michael Tomasky
January 9, 2015
The Pew poll also found most African Americans expect relations between police and minorities will actually get worse.
Dr. Howard Fuller's Injustice Education
Campbell Brown
December 21, 2014
According to a 2013 Pew Research Center study 28 percent of Jews ages 18 to 49 keep kosher inside their homes.
I Ate Potato Pancakes Til I Plotzed
Emily Shire
December 17, 2014
Pew estimates the number of swing voters at about 25 percent, a quarter of the electorate.
Yes, Independent Swing Voters Are Real. And May Decide Who Wins Elections
Linda Killian
November 3, 2014

Historical Examples of pew

It was caused by the fall of Dr. Benson In the pew while kneeling in prayer.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
Our pew is well up in front,—seems as if I could see it now.
A Little Book of Profitable Tales
Eugene Field
The pew we sat in was a square one, with a table in the middle of it for our books.
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood
George MacDonald
The tomb was close by the side of the pew, with only a flagged passage between.
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood
George MacDonald
She saw them sitting in their pew far down toward the chancel.
Bride of the Mistletoe
James Lane Allen

British Dictionary definitions for pew

pew

noun

(in a church)

one of several long benchlike seats with backs, used by the congregation
an enclosed compartment reserved for the use of a family or other small group

British informal a seat (esp in the phrase take a pew)

Word Origin for pew

C14 pywe, from Old French puye, from Latin podium a balcony, from Greek podion supporting structure, from pous foot

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

Word Origin and History for pew

late 14c., "raised, enclosed seat for certain worshippers" (ladies, important men, etc.), from Old French puie, puy "balcony, elevation," from Latin podia, plural of podium "elevated place," also "balcony in a Roman theater" (see podium). Meaning "fixed bench with a back, for a number of worshippers" is attested from 1630s.