Meaning & use
a lectern
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Meanings
nouncountable
A tall stand with a slanted top, used to hold a book or notes for someone who is speaking to an audience.
Grammar: Countable: one lectern, two lecterns. Usually used with 'a' or 'the': she stepped up to the lectern.
Patterns
- stand at a lectern
- speak from a lectern
- a lectern in a church
The professor rested her notes on the lectern and looked up at the class.
A small brass lectern stands at the front of the chapel.
He gripped the edges of the lectern while he answered questions.
nouncountablereligion
The reading desk in a church from which passages of the Bible are read aloud.
Grammar: Countable, and often used with 'the' because most churches have one particular lectern.
Patterns
- read from the lectern
- the lectern in a church
The reader walked to the lectern and began the first lesson.
A carved eagle supports the lectern in the old parish church.
Word forms
| plural | lecterns |
|---|
Common combinations
- step up to the lectern
- She took a deep breath and stepped up to the lectern.
- a wooden lectern
- The hall has a heavy wooden lectern near the stage.
- speak from a lectern
- He prefers to speak from a lectern rather than hold a microphone.
- place something on the lectern
- Place your notes on the lectern before the audience arrives.
- behind the lectern
- The mayor stood behind the lectern and read her statement.
Synonyms and how they differ
- podium
- Very close in meaning, but in American English 'podium' often means the raised platform a speaker stands on, while a lectern is the stand that holds the notes.
- reading desk
- A plainer, more descriptive term; it fits church settings but sounds less natural for a conference hall.
- stand
- Much more general and can mean any support, so use 'lectern' when you want to be clear that it holds a book or papers.
Word family
- lectern noun
- The same word without the article; this is the form you look up in a dictionary.
Commonly confused: a lectern or podium? a lectern or pulpit?
a lectern vs podium
A podium is usually the raised platform a speaker stands on, while a lectern is the slanted stand on top of it for notes. Many people mix the two, especially in American English.
a lectern vs pulpit
A pulpit is a raised enclosed platform in a church used for preaching, whereas a lectern is a lower desk used for reading aloud.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'lectern' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A lectern is a stand that holds notes or a book for a speaker, so laying a speech on it fits. The other options treat it as a platform to climb, a vehicle, or a cooking surface, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a lectern”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.