dais

[ dey-is, dahy-, deys ]

noun

1. a raised platform, as at the front of a room, for a lectern, throne, seats of honor, etc.

dais

/ ˈdeɪɪs; deɪs /

noun

1. a raised platform, usually at one end of a hall, used by speakers, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of dais¹

1225–75; Middle English deis < Anglo-French ( Old French dois ) < Latin discus quoit; discus

Word History and Origins

Origin of dais¹

C13: from Old French deis, from Latin discus discus

Example Sentences

In TV interviews, public events and from the school board dais, Shaw speaks against “woke indoctrination” of students.

From Los Angeles Times

Bronny James, sharing the dais with fellow rookie Dalton Knecht, said the first official day of work with his father was surreal.

From Los Angeles Times

Capitol dais in 2021, she became more than the youngest inaugural poet in the nation’s history.

From Los Angeles Times

Local demonstrators with a bullhorn occupied the dais to demand low-income housing in Cambridge.

From New York Times

Strong, currently performing in Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” in New York, prepared a lengthy, pointed statement about the film’s politics that Abbasi read from the dais to open the press conference.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• podium
• rostrum
• terrace