chairman English · revision 2917
15 Oct 2026, 19:20 by bogdan “en10k lines 1014-1023 (senate … camp)” current version
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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=1592|origins=en chair, en man}}
+
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: UK /ˈtʃeə.mən/, US /ˈtʃer.mən/^(Roach et al. 2011)
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is a compound of [[chair]] and [[man]].^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ 1592 in Merriam-Webster.^(MWU 2024) Etymonline dates it to the 1650s, “occupier of a chair of authority”,^(Etymonline) and the OED's first example is from 1654.^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ The member of a corporate body chosen to preside at its meetings is from about 1730,^(Etymonline) 1727–51 in the OED.^(OED 1989) From 1682 a ''chairman'' was also a man who carried people in sedan chairs, and later (1766) one who wheeled a Bath chair.^(OED 1989) A master of ceremonies at a music hall is from 1836.^(OED 1989) ''Chairwoman'' is attested from 1699, and ''chairperson'' from 1971.^(Etymonline) The verb, “to preside over”, is from 1888.^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1592 – first recorded.^(MWU 2024)
+ * 1654 – the occupier of a chair of authority.^(OED 1989)
+ * 1682 – a sedan-chair carrier.^(OED 1989)
+ * 1699 – ''chairwoman''.^(Etymonline)
+ * c. 1730 – one who presides at meetings.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1888 – verb, to preside over.^(OED 1989)
+ * 1971 – ''chairperson''.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # The person who presides over a [[meeting]], [[committee]] or board.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)
+ # The head of a company's board of directors.^(Collins 2023)
+ # The head of a university department.^(AHD)
+ # ''(historical)'' A man who carried a sedan chair.^(OED 1989)
+
+ ===Verb===
+ # To act as chairman of.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[chairmanship]]
+ * [[subchairman]]
+ * [[cochairman]]
+ * [[vice-chairman]]
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[chair]]
+ * [[chairwoman]]
+ * [[chairperson]]
+ * [[cathedral]]
+
+ ==Usage notes==
+ ''Chairperson'' (1971) and ''chair'' are used as gender-neutral alternatives.^(Etymonline)^(Collins 2023)
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}