chair

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See also: chaïr and Chair

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English chayer, chaire, chaiere, chaere, chayre, chayere, from Old French chaiere, chaere, from Latin cathedra (“seat”), from Ancient Greek καθέδρα (kathédra), from κατά (katá, “down”) + ἕδρα (hédra, “seat”). Displaced native stool and settle, which now have more specialised senses. Doublet of cathedra and chaise.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

A chair (item of furniture).
Chairs (rail supports on a railway).
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Wikipedia

chair (plural chairs)

  1. An item of furniture used to sit on or in, comprising a seat, legs or wheels, back, and sometimes arm rests, for use by one person. Compare stool, couch, sofa, settee, loveseat and bench.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 12, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      There were many wooden chairs for the bulk of his visitors, and two wicker armchairs with red cloth cushions for superior people. From the packing-cases had emerged some Indian clubs, […], and all these articles […] made a scattered and untidy decoration that Mrs. Clough assiduously dusted and greatly cherished.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess‎[1]:
      Meanwhile Nanny Broome was recovering from her initial panic and seemed anxious to make up for any kudos she might have lost, by exerting her personality to the utmost. She took the policeman's helmet and placed it on a chair, and unfolded his tunic to shake it and fold it up again for him.
    All I need to weather a snowstorm is hot coffee, a warm fire, a good book and a comfortable chair.
  2. Clipping of chairperson.
    Under the rules of order adopted by the board, the chair may neither make nor second motions.
    • 1658 March 23, Thomas Burton, John Towell Rutt, editor, Diary, London: Henry Colburn, published 1828, page 243:
      The Chair behaves himself like a Busby amongst so many school-boys […] and takes a little too much on him.
    • 1887 September 5, The Times:
      It can hardly be conceived that the Chair would fail to gain the support of the House.
    • 2020 June 3, Lilian Greenwood talks to Paul Stephen, “Rail's 'underlying challenges' remain”, in Rail, page 34:
      She adds: "I'd also like to think that as chair I was friendly but firm. I wanted to encourage people to give evidence, while there are others who need to be coaxed, held to account and asked tough questions."
  3. (music) The seating position of a particular musician in an orchestra.
    My violin teacher used to play first chair with the Boston Pops.
  4. (rail transport) An iron block used on railways to support the rails and secure them to the sleepers, and similar devices.
  5. (chemistry) One of two possible conformers of cyclohexane rings (the other being boat), shaped roughly like a chair.
  6. (slang, with the) Ellipsis of electric chair (the execution device).
    • 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 8, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 251:
      'All for a pig of a man who should have gone to the chair.'
    He killed a cop: he's going to get the chair.
    The court will show no mercy; if he gets convicted, it's the chair for him.
  7. (education) A distinguished professorship at a university.
  8. A vehicle for one person; either a sedan borne upon poles, or a two-wheeled carriage drawn by one horse; a gig.
  9. The seat or office of a person in authority, such as a judge or bishop.

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

Translations[edit]

chairperson — see chairperson
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb[edit]

chair (third-person singular simple present chairs, present participle chairing, simple past and past participle chaired)

  1. (transitive) To act as chairperson at; to preside over.
    Bob will chair tomorrow's meeting.
    • 2020 May 20, “Merriman praised over handling of TSC's 'virtual' transition”, in Rail, page 12:
      Greenwood told RAIL she was disappointed that Parliamentary rules prevented her from chairing the TSC [Transport Select Committee] beyond last December's General Election, [...] She added: "I'm gutted I'm no longer able to chair the committee, I'm not going to lie. But I know it's in good hands and I'm still able to play my part as a member in the work we're doing.
  2. (transitive) To carry in a seated position upon one's shoulders, especially in celebration or victory.
    • 1896, A. E. Houseman, "To An Athlete Dying Young," in A Shropshire Lad
      The time you won your town the race
      We chaired you through the marketplace.
  3. (transitive, Wales, Britain) To award a chair to (a winning poet) at a Welsh eisteddfod.
    The poet was chaired at the national Eisteddfod.

Translations[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle French chair, char, from Old French char, charn (earlier carn), from Latin carnem, accusative of carō, from Proto-Italic *karō, from Proto-Indo-European *ker-, *(s)ker-.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

chair f (plural chairs)

  1. flesh

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Gallo[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old French cheoir, from Latin cado, cognate with French choir.

Verb[edit]

chair

  1. to fall
  2. to crash
    Une avion san liméro qu'est chaite ste netey à Eastdown dan le Sussex
    A plane without number that has crashed this night at Eastdown, Sussex

Manx[edit]

Adjective[edit]

chair

  1. Lenited form of cair.

Noun[edit]

chair f

  1. Lenited form of cair.

Mutation[edit]

Manx mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
cair chair gair
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Middle French[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old French char, charn, from Latin carnem, accusative singular of carō.

Noun[edit]

chair f (plural chairs)

  1. flesh

Descendants[edit]

Old French[edit]

Verb[edit]

chair

  1. alternative infinitive of cheoir.

Conjugation[edit]

This verb conjugates as a third-group verb. This verb has a stressed present stem chié distinct from the unstressed stem che, as well as other irregularities. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

    Conjugation of chair (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)
simple compound
infinitive chair avoir cheï, chaï, cheü, chaü, cheoit, chaoit
gerund en cheant, chaant Use the gerund of avoir followed by the past participle
present participle cheant, chaant
past participle cheï, chaï, cheü, chaü, cheoit, chaoit
person singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative jo tu il nos vos il
simple
tenses 		present chié chiez chiet cheons, chaons cheez, chaez chiéent
imperfect cheoie, cheeie, chaoie, chaeie cheoies, cheeies, chaoies, chaeies cheoit, cheeit, chaoit, chaeit cheïiens, cheïens, chaïiens, chaïens cheïiez, cheïez, chaïiez, chaïez cheoient, cheeient, chaoient, chaeient
preterite cheï, chaï, chui cheïs, chaïs, cheüs cheï, chaï, chut cheïmes, chaïmes, cheümes cheïstes, chaïstes, cheüstes cheïrent, chaïrent, churent
future cherrai, charrai cherras, charras cherra, charra cherrons, charrons cherroiz, cherreiz, cherrez, charroiz, charreiz, charrez cherront, charront
conditional cherroie, cherreie, charroie, charreie cherroies, cherreies, charroies, charreies cherroit, cherreit, charroit, charreit cherriiens, cherriens, charriiens, charriens cherriiez, cherriez, charriiez, charriez cherroient, cherreient, charroient, charreient
compound
tenses 		present perfect Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle
pluperfect Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle
past anterior Use the preterite tense of avoir followed by the past participle
future perfect Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle
conditional perfect Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle
subjunctive que jo que tu qu’il que nos que vos qu’il
simple
tenses 		present chiée chiées chiée cheons, chaons cheez, chaez chiéent
imperfect cheïsse, chaïsse, cheüsse cheïsses, chaïsses, cheüsses cheïst, chaïst, cheüst cheïssons, cheïssiens, chaïssons, chaïssiens, cheüssons, cheüssiens cheïssoiz, cheïssez, cheïssiez, chaïssoiz, chaïssez, chaïssiez, cheüssoiz, cheüssez, cheüssiez cheïssent, chaïssent, cheüssent
compound
tenses 		past Use the present subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle
pluperfect Use the imperfect subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle
imperative – tu – nos vos –
— chié — cheons, chaons cheez, chaez —
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