pulpit

English

Etymology

From Middle English pulpit, from Old French pulpite and Latin pulpitum (“platform”). Doublet of pulpitum.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpʊlpɪt/, /ˈpʌlpɪt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpʊlpɪt/, /ˈpʌlpɪt/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʊlpɪt, -ʌlpɪt
• Hyphenation: pul‧pit

Noun

pulpit (plural pulpits)

1. A raised platform in a church, usually enclosed, where the minister or preacher stands when giving the sermon.
   • 1915, Russell H. Conwell, Robert Shackleton, chapter IV, in Acres of Diamonds‎, His Life and Achievements:

     Always, whether in the pulpit or on the platform, as in private conversation, there is an absolute simplicity about the man and his words; a simplicity, an earnestness, a complete honesty.

   • 1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1965, →OCLC, page 12:

     [H]is `Amens' were ejected at the pulpit with the severity of a reprimand.

2. Activity performed from a church pulpit, in other words, preaching, sermons, religious teaching, the preaching profession, preachers collectively or an individual preaching position; by extension: bully pulpit.
3. A raised desk, lectern, or platform for an orator or public speaker.
4. (nautical) The railing at the bow of a boat, which sometimes extends past the deck. It is sometimes referred to as bow pulpit. The railing at the stern of the boat is sometimes referred to as a stern pulpit; other texts use the term pushpit.
5. A bow platform for harpooning.
6. (UK military slang, dated) A plane's cockpit.
   • 1941 March 24, Life, page 85:

     In the slang of the Royal Air Force man, the cockpit of his plane is the ‘pulpit’ or ‘office’, the glass covering over it the ‘greenhouse’.

Synonyms

• (place or occasion for public speaking): soap box, tribune
• (dated British slang for cockpit): office; see also cockpit

Derived terms

• bully pulpit
• Jack-in-the-pulpit
• parson-in-the-pulpit
• pulpital
• wayside pulpit

Related terms

• ambo

Translations

Middle English

Alternative forms

• pulpet, pollepyt, pullpite, polepitt, pulpitte, pulpytt, pulpette, pulpite

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin pulpitum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpulpit/

Noun

pulpit

1. A pulpit (podium for religious oratory)
2. A podium for non-religious oratory.
3. (rare) A seat in a church for royalty.

Descendants

• English: pulpit
• Scots: poopit, poupit

References

• “pulpit, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-01-18.

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

pulpit

Wikipedia ^pl

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin pulpitum. Doublet of pult.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpul.pit/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ulpit
• Syllabification: pul‧pit

Noun

pulpit m inan (diminutive pulpicik)

1. (computing) desktop (the main graphical user interface of an operating system)
2. pulpit, lectern

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

• pulpit in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• pulpit in Polish dictionaries at PWN