Etymologically
Log in

chairman

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 19:20. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈtʃeə.mən/, US /ˈtʃer.mən/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of chair and man.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

1592 in Merriam-Webster.[3] Etymonline dates it to the 1650s, “occupier of a chair of authority”,[2] and the OED's first example is from 1654.[4]

Semantic evolution

The member of a corporate body chosen to preside at its meetings is from about 1730,[2] 1727–51 in the OED.[4] From 1682 a chairman was also a man who carried people in sedan chairs, and later (1766) one who wheeled a Bath chair.[4] A master of ceremonies at a music hall is from 1836.[4] Chairwoman is attested from 1699, and chairperson from 1971.[2] The verb, “to preside over”, is from 1888.[4]

Timeline

  • 1592 – first recorded.[3]
  • 1654 – the occupier of a chair of authority.[4]
  • 1682 – a sedan-chair carrier.[4]
  • 1699 – chairwoman.[2]
  • c. 1730 – one who presides at meetings.[2]
  • 1888 – verb, to preside over.[4]
  • 1971 – chairperson.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The person who presides over a meeting, committee or board.
  2. The head of a company's board of directors.
  3. The head of a university department.
  4. (historical) A man who carried a sedan chair.

Verb

  1. To act as chairman of.

Word family

  • chairmanship
  • subchairman
  • cochairman
  • vice-chairman
  • chair
  • chairwoman
  • chairperson
  • cathedral

Usage notes

Chairperson (1971) and chair are used as gender-neutral alternatives.[2][5]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins