What does pulpit mean?
A pulpit is the raised stand in a church from which a minister or other clergy member delivers a sermon. In religious contexts, the word can also refer to the preacher’s office or role, as in a minister being called to “the pulpit.” In broader public discussion, a person or institution may be described as using a pulpit when it offers a prominent platform for moral, religious, or political arguments. The word carries both dignity and authority, since the elevated position traditionally gives the speaker visibility and symbolic importance. It can also be mildly critical when the figurative sense is used to suggest that someone is preaching dogmatically or moralizing from a position of presumed superiority. In everyday use, pulpit most often means the physical stand in a church, while the figurative meanings depend on ideas of preaching, public speaking, and moral authority.
nounA raised stand in a church from which a member of the clergy delivers a sermon or address. By extension, “the pulpit” can mean the position or role of a preacher, or a figurative platform for moralizing or public pronouncements.
- The raised stand in a church from which a member of the clergy preaches or addresses the congregation.
- The position, office, or public role of a preacher, especially in the expression “the pulpit.”
- A figurative platform from which someone delivers moralizing, religious, or political pronouncements.
"The minister delivered a moving sermon from the pulpit."
"The congregation listened in silence as the minister spoke from the pulpit."
"Her weekly television program became a kind of secular pulpit for discussions of social justice."
The plural is formed regularly by adding -s.
"The church installed new pulpits during its renovation."
A pulpit is more than a piece of church furniture: it symbolizes the authority of the preacher and, by extension, the power to speak publicly about right and wrong.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pulpit come from?
English “pulpit” comes through Old French pulpitre from the Latin pulpitum, meaning a platform or raised stand. The word entered English in the late medieval period and originally referred to the raised place in a church from which a sermon was delivered. Its later figurative uses developed from the association of the pulpit with the public exercise of religious and moral authority.
How pulpit is actually used
The word is formal and strongly associated with Christian worship, especially in Britain and the United States. The figurative sense can sound approving, but it may also imply dogmatism or excessive moralizing. The expression “the pulpit” refers collectively to the preaching office or the clergy who occupy it.
Easily confused with pulpit
A pulpit is the raised stand from which a preacher delivers a sermon, whereas a lectern is generally a reading stand on the floor or a smaller reading desk.