noun / adjective

cathedral

kuh-THEE-druhl/kəˈθiːdrəl/

The main church of a bishop's district.

The bishop's ornate chair stands inside the cathedral.

A grand cathedral interior with an ornate bishop's chair in the chancel, clear principal church setting.

Etymology

catGreekdown

+hedrGreekseat, chair

+alLatinrelating to

“Down” and “seat” combine in the word for a chair, which became a bishop’s official seat. A cathedral was originally a “cathedral church”: the church belonging to that seat of authority.

In context

NetTV Catholic14:12

especially within a cathedral this imagery is very potent and speaks to us of the shepherd who is the bishop

The Chair: New Orleans, LA

More examples

Visitors admired the cathedral's stained-glass windows.
The cathedral choir rehearses every Thursday.
The city restored its medieval cathedral.

Forms

cathedral · cathedrals

Similar words

church: Broader; need not contain a bishop's seat.
chapel: Usually smaller and need not serve as a bishop's principal church.