Chair

a piece of furniture. The essential part is a seat. It also has legs, a back, and frequently arms. Without a back a chair becomes a stool. Chairs were known among the Romans. Richly carved wooden chairs are heirlooms in the great German houses. Nothing seems more common than a chair. It is safe to assert, however, that three-fourths of the world's population do not use chairs, but sit on mats or on the ground, at table and when resting. The sense of dignity formerly attached to the occupancy of a chair may be traced in the use of the term in connection with a professorship, as the chair of modern history, the chair of Latin, etc. The one called upon to preside over a meeting is said to take the chair. A speaker addresses the chair. The head of a committee is called its chairman. See Furniture