Politics & SocietyGreek → English
Throne
/θroʊn/noun
The ceremonial chair of a monarch or bishop, and by extension sovereign power itself.
The Greek roots
θρόνος
thrónos
high seat, chair of state
Literally: “seat”
Follow a root:θρόνος1 word
The story of the word
In Homer a θρόνος is simply a good chair with a footstool, the seat you give an honoured guest in a hall, with no crown implied. Church Greek used it for a bishop's seat, which is where enthrone comes from and why a cathedral is named for the chair it contains. English took it through Latin and Old French as trone; the h was put back by later scholars who knew the Greek. The word for the furniture ended up meaning the institution.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → Old French → English
- First recorded
- 13th century
The same roots elsewhere
Other languages reached for exactly the same Greek pieces.
Same family
enthronedethrone
In a sentence
He came to the throne at nine and reigned for fifty-two years.
The throne is a plain oak chair with a cushion, which surprises visitors.