throne

English

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Thrones

Wikipedia

Etymology

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

Partially replaced seld ("seat, throne")

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key):
• (US) IPA^(key):
• (obsolete) IPA^(key):

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊn
• Homophone: thrown

Noun

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.

   Queen Victoria sat upon the throne of England for 63 years.

   The prince's newborn baby is fifth in line to the throne.

   • 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.

2. (figuratively) Leadership, particularly the position of a monarch.
   • 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.
   • 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.
   • 1611, Bible (KJV), Epistle of Paul to the Colossians, 1:16:

     For by him were all things created that are in heauen, and that are in earth, visible and inuisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.

Synonyms

• (seat used for urination and defecation): See Thesaurus:chamber pot, Thesaurus:toilet, and Thesaurus:bathroom

Hypernyms

• (furniture): seat
• (order of angels): angel

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

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.
   • 1671, John Milton, “The First Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: J. M for John Starkey , →OCLC, page 4:

     True image of the Father, whether throned / In the bosom of bliss, and light of light.

3. (intransitive, archaic) To be in, or sit upon, a throne; to be placed as if upon a throne.

Translations

See also

• ophan

Anagrams

• 'nother, Hornet, Rhoten, Theron, Thoren, Thorne, enhort, hornet, nother, other'n

German

Verb

throne

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

Latin

Noun

throne

1. vocative singular of thronus

Middle English

Noun

throne

1. Alternative form of trone (“throne”)

Middle French

Alternative forms

• trosne

Etymology

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”).

Noun

throne m (plural thrones)

1. throne

Descendants

• French: trône
  • → Romanian: tron