dais
UK /ˈdeɪ.ɪs/ · US /ˈdeɪəs/ noun
Forms daises deas deis
- noun A raised platform in a room for a high table, a seat of honour, a throne, or other dignified occupancy, such as ancestral statues; a similar platform supporting a lectern, pulpit, etc., which may be used to speak from.
- noun (historical, northern UK) A bench, a settle, a pew.
- noun (obsolete) An elevated table in a hall at which important people were seated; a high table.
- noun The canopy over an altar, etc.
- noun Dated spelling of dais.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English deis, from Anglo-Norman deis, from Old French deis, dois (modern French dais), from Latin discum, accusative singular of discus (“discus, disc, quoit; dish”) (Late Latin discum (“table”)), from Ancient Greek δίσκος (dískos, “discus, disc; tray”), from δικεῖν (dikeîn, “to cast, to throw; to strike”). Cognate with Italian desco, Occitan des. Doublet of desk, disc, discus, dish, disk, and diskos.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The high or principal table, at the end of a hall, at which the chief guests were seated; also, the chief seat at the high table.
- noun A platform slightly raised above the floor of a hall or large room, giving distinction to the table and seats placed upon it for the chief guests.
Etymology [OE. deis, des, table, dais, OF. deis table, F. dais a canopy, L. discus a quoit, a dish (from the shape), LL., table, fr. Gr. a quoit, a dish. See Dish.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “dais”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details