chair Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a seat for one person, with a support for the back
    • he put his coat over the back of the chair and sat down
  2. noun the position of professor
    professorship.
    • he was awarded an endowed chair in economics
  3. noun the officer who presides at the meetings of an organization
    president; chairperson; chairman; chairwoman.
    • address your remarks to the chairperson
  4. noun an instrument of execution by electrocution; resembles an ordinary seat for one person
    electric chair; death chair; hot seat.
    • the murderer was sentenced to die in the chair
  5. noun a particular seat in an orchestra
    • he is second chair violin
  6. verb act or preside as chair, as of an academic department in a university
    chairman.
    • She chaired the department for many years
  7. verb preside over
    moderate; lead.
    • John moderated the discussion

WordNet

Chair noun
Etymology
OE. chaiere, chaere, OF. chaiere, chaere, F. chaire pulpit, fr. L. cathedra chair, armchair, a teacher's or professor's chair, Gr. down + seat, to sit, akin to E. sit. See Sit, and cf. Cathedral, chaise.
Definitions
  1. A movable single seat with a back.
  2. An official seat, as of a chief magistrate or a judge, but esp. that of a professor; hence, the office itself.
    The chair of a philosophical school. Whewell.
    A chair of philology. M. Arnold.
  3. The presiding officer of an assembly; a chairman; as, to address the chair.
  4. A vehicle for one person; either a sedan borne upon poles, or two-wheeled carriage, drawn by one horse; a gig. Shak.
    Think what an equipage thou hast in air, And view with scorn two pages and a chair. Pope.
  5. An iron blok used on railways to support the rails and secure them to the sleepers.
Chair transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & present participle Chaired ; present participle & verbal noun Chairing
Definitions
  1. To place in a chair.
  2. To carry publicly in a chair in triumph. Eng.

Webster 1913