throne means an impressive seat used by a monarch, often on a raised dais in a throne room and reserved for formal occasions. It carries an Arena rating of 1722, earned across 9 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, throne ranks #1,581 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #1,714 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,802 of 42,762 for Qualifying, #2,472 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
throne is pronounced /θɹəʊ̯n/.
Why “throne” is a great word
A ceremonial chair of state, often elevated and richly ornamented, occupied by a sovereign, bishop, or other high dignitary on official occasions, and symbolizing authority and office. From Middle English trone, from Old French trone, from Latin thronus, from Ancient Greek θρόνος (thrónos, "chair, throne"). Unlike a "chair"—a humble, functional seat stripped of ceremony—or a "seat"—an abstract position of membership—a throne is the physical, monumental incarnation of power itself. It is the cold, carved marble dais in an empty hall, the gilded elevation that forces subjects to look upward, the vacant silhouette that persists long after the monarch has fled—the silent, stationary center around which all temporary authority must orbit, reminding us that authority is, finally, a matter of where one sits.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English trone, from Old French trone, from Latin thronus, from Ancient Greek θρόνος (thrónos, “a seat, chair”). Superseded earlier seld (“seat, throne”).
noun
- An impressive seat used by a monarch, often on a raised dais in a throne room and reserved for formal occasions.e.g.“He approached the throne reverently.”
- Leadership, particularly the position of a monarch.e.g.“Queen Victoria sat upon the throne of England for 63 years.”
- The seat of a bishop in the cathedral-church of his diocese; also, the seat of a pope.e.g.“Pope Joan, who once occupied the throne of the Vatican, was reputed to be the blackest sorcerer of them all.” — 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 105:
- A toilet.e.g.“"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.” — 1991 October, Stephen King, Needful Things, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 169:
- A kind of stool used by drummers.
- A member of an order of angels ranked above dominions and below cherubim.
verb
- To place on a royal seat; to enthrone.
- To place in an elevated position; to give sovereignty or dominion to; to exalt.e.g.“True image of the Father, whether throned / In the bosom of bliss, and light of light.” — 1671, John Milton, “The First Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 4:
- To be in, or sit upon, a throne; to be placed as if upon a throne.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).