throne

[throhn]

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noun

the chair or seat occupied by a sovereign, bishop, or other exalted personage on ceremonial occasions, usually raised on a dais and covered with a canopy.

the office or dignity of a sovereign: He came to the throne by succession.

the occupant of a throne; sovereign.

sovereign power or authority: to address one's pleas to the throne.

an episcopal office or authority: the diocesan throne.

mourners' bench.

thrones, an order of angels.Compare angel(def 1).

Facetious. a toilet.

verb (used with or without object), throned, thron·ing.

to sit on or as on a throne.

Origin of throne

1175–1225; Middle English < Latin thronus < Greek thrónos high seat; replacing Middle English trone < Old French < Latin, as above

Related formsthrone·less, adjective

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

Related Words for throne

toilet, power, dignity, rank, seat, royalty, authority, chair, sovereignty, cathedra

Examples from the Web for throne

Contemporary Examples of throne

Then, as I sat here on this “throne,” this beautiful choir struck my ears and senses.
Joseph Campbell on the Roots of Halloween
Joseph Campbell
October 31, 2014
The wonderful reign of Queen Elizabeth has everyone worried about what will happen when her crank of a son takes the throne.
Imagining Prince Charles as King Makes All of Britain Wish They Could Leave Like Scotland
Clive Irving
September 17, 2014
So, when Juan Carlos was put on the throne by Franco, he was said to be stone broke.
Will Scandal Sink the Spanish Royal Family?
Tom Sykes
August 18, 2014
The Tudors who succeeded Richard to the throne reinforced their own legitimacy by setting out systematically to trash him.
Three Dicks: Cheney, Nixon, Richard III and the Art of Reputation Rehab
Clive Irving
July 27, 2014
George is the first offspring of a “commoner” in 350 years to become heir to the throne.
Happy Birthday, Prince George! Will the Wee Royal Be the First King of the 22nd Century?
Emma Woolf
July 21, 2014

Historical Examples of throne

On the 5th of February the king attended and delivered the speech from the throne in person.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
Fifty years before Queen Victoria had ascended the throne of England.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
Either the help I implored wasn't good for me, or my voice couldn't soar to His throne.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
I feel myself to be back upon my throne when I look at them.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
At night, our couch will be on a platform surmounted by a canopy like a throne.
The Dream
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for throne

throne

noun

the ceremonial seat occupied by a monarch, bishop, etc on occasions of state

the power, duties, or rank ascribed to a royal person

a person holding royal rank

(plural; often capital) the third of the nine orders into which the angels are traditionally divided in medieval angelology

verb

to place or be placed on a throne

Derived Formsthroneless, adjective

Word Origin for throne

C13: from Old French trone, from Latin thronus, from Greek thronos throne

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 throne

mid-13c., from Old French trone (12c.), from Latin thronus, from Greek thronos "elevated seat, chair, throne," from PIE root *dher- (2) "to hold firmly, support" (cf. Latin firmus "firm, steadfast, strong, stable," Sanskrit dharma "statute, law;" see firm (adj.)). Colloquial meaning "toilet" is recorded from 1922.

Idioms and Phrases with throne

throne

see power behind the throne.