throne - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

a throne

From Middle English trone, from Old French trone, from Latin thronus, from Ancient Greek θρόνος (thrónos, “chair, throne”). Superseded earlier seld (“seat, throne”).

throne (plural thrones)

  1. An impressive seat used by a monarch, often on a raised dais in a throne room and reserved for formal occasions.
    He approached the throne reverently.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Revelation 7:9–12:
      9 After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could nūber, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, & tongues, stood before the throne, & before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palmes in their hands:
      10 And cryed with a loude voice, saying, Saluation to our God, which sitteth vpon the Throne, and vnto the Lambe.
      11 And all the Angels stood round about the Throne, and about the Elders, and the foure beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
      12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glorie, and wisedome, and thankesgiuing, and honour, & power, and might be vnto our God for euer & euer, Amen.
    • 1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 41:
      Before daylight, when the dragon flew home to sleep, he had burned up the hall and even the throne of the Geatish king.
    • 2014, “Send Help”, in Coma Witch, performed by The Acacia Strain and Max Cavalera:
      Cities will burn as you fall to your knees / I will inhale the dust of my enemies / Watch from my throne as I sit up all high / They scream as they burn / I laugh as they die
  2. (figuratively) Leadership, particularly the position of a monarch.
    Queen Victoria sat upon the throne of England for 63 years.
    The prince's newborn baby is fifth in line to the throne.
    • 1611, Bible (KJV), Genesis, 41:40:
      Thou shalt be ouer my house, and according vnto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater then thou.
    • 2023 December 27, Stephen Roberts, “Bradshaw's Britain: the way to Weymouth”, in RAIL, number 999, page 52:
      Stephen reigned from 1135-1154, that nasty period of our history dubbed 'The Anarchy', when forces loyal to Stephen contested the throne with those of Henry I's daughter Matilda, who by rights should have been queen. Stephen, her cousin, plonked his own posterior on the throne.
  3. The seat of a bishop in the cathedral-church of his diocese; also, the seat of a pope.
    Synonym: cathedra
    • 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 105:
      Pope Joan, who once occupied the throne of the Vatican, was reputed to be the blackest sorcerer of them all.
  4. (euphemistic) A toilet.
    • 1991, Stephen King, Needful Things:
      "If she has intestinal flu, you probably called while she was on the throne and she didn't want to admit it," Alan said dryly.
  5. (music) A kind of stool used by drummers.
  6. (Christianity) A member of an order of angels ranked above dominions and below cherubim.

ornate seat

position

lavatory or toilet

third highest order of angel

throne (third-person singular simple present thrones, present participle throning, simple past and past participle throned)

  1. (transitive, archaic) To place on a royal seat; to enthrone.
  2. (transitive, archaic) To place in an elevated position; to give sovereignty or dominion to; to exalt.
  3. (intransitive, archaic) To be in, or sit upon, a throne; to be placed as if upon a throne.

throne

  1. inflection of thronen:
    1. first-person singular present
    2. first/third-person singular subjunctive I
    3. singular imperative

throne

  1. vocative singular of thronus

throne

  1. alternative form of trone (“throne”)

From Old French trone, from Latin thronus, from Ancient Greek θρόνος (thrónos). The h was added back to reflect the Latin thronus, from Ancient Greek θρόνος (thrónos, “chair, throne”).

throne m (plural thrones)

  1. throne