Chautauqua

[ shuh-taw-kwuh, chuh- ]

noun

1. Lake, a lake in SW New York. 18 miles (29 km) long.
2. a village on this lake: summer educational center.
3. an annual educational meeting, originating in this village in 1874, providing public lectures, concerts, and dramatic performances during the summer months, usually in an outdoor setting.
4. (usually lowercase) any similar assembly, especially one of a number meeting in a circuit of communities.

adjective

1. of or relating to a system of education flourishing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, originating at Lake Chautauqua, New York.
2. (usually lowercase) pertaining to a chautauqua:

   a chautauqua program.

chautauqua

/ ʃəˈtɔːkwə /

noun

1. (in the US, formerly) a summer school or educational meeting held in the summer

Word History and Origins

Origin of Chautauqua¹

C19: named after Chautauqua, a lake in New York near which such a school was first held

Example Sentences

Inspired by the Chautauqua movement bringing arts and cultural experiences to rural America, enterprising local theater lover Angus Bowmer laid the groundwork in 1935 for what would become the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

From Seattle Times

Matar pleaded not guilty to assault and attempted murder after being indicted by a Chautauqua County grand jury shortly after the attack.

From Seattle Times

Hadi Matar, 26, has been held without bail since his 2022 arrest, immediately after allegedly attacking the internationally acclaimed writer in front of a stunned audience he was about to address at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York.

From Seattle Times

If Matar agrees to plead guilty in the state and a potential federal case, Barone said, he would want a shorter state prison sentence in return, something Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt is unwilling to consider.

From Seattle Times

The author, whose works also include “Midnight’s Children” and “Victory City,” is on the witness list for Matar’s trial in Chautauqua County, scheduled for September.

From Seattle Times