A.Word.A.Day--ex cathedra

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The Magic of Words

Feb 23, 2010

This week's theme
Latin terms in English

This week's words
locum
ex cathedra

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A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

ex cathedra

PRONUNCIATION:

(eks kuh-THEE-druh)

MEANING:

adverb, adjective: Spoken with authority; with the authority of the office.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin ex cathedra (from the chair), from cathedra (chair). In the Roman Catholic Church, when the Pope speaks ex cathedra he is considered infallible. The word cathedral is short for the full term cathedral church, meaning the principal church of a diocese, one containing a bishop's throne.

NOTES:

The term is often used ironically or sarcastically to describe self-certain statements, alluding to the Pope's supposed infallibility, as if an office or position conferred immunity from error.

USAGE:

"The Supreme Court's ex cathedra pronouncement that the area is not riverbed or floodplain commits two errors."
Ramaswamy R. Iyer; Let the Games Go On; The Indian Express (New Delhi, India); Aug 4, 2009.

Explore "ex cathedra" in the Visual Thesaurus.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Experts have / their expert fun / ex cathedra / telling one / just how nothing / can be done. -Piet Hein, poet and scientist (1905-1996)

A man's first care should be to avoid the reproaches of his own heart, his next to escape the censures of the world. -Joseph Addison, essayist and poet (1672-1719)

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