kathisma

or ca·this·ma

[ Greek kah-theez-mah; English ka-thiz-muh ]

noun

, plural ka·this·ma·ta or ca·this·ma·ta [kah-, theez, -mah-tah, ka-, thiz, -m, uh, -t, uh].

1. one of the 20 divisions of the Psalter in the Greek rite.

Word History and Origins

Origin of kathisma¹

First recorded in 1850–60; from Medieval Greek, Greek káthisma “seat,” from kathízein “to sit down” (equivalent to kat- kat- + hízein “to set, sit”; sit ¹ ) + -isma -ism ( def )

Example Sentences

This place, called Kathisma or “seat” in Greek, is said to be where the Virgin Mary rested and drank from a well, not long before giving birth in a stable to Jesus.

From Washington Post

But on the sixth day of the riots they led him to the Hippodrome, installed him in the royal seat of the Kathisma, and crowned him there with a gold chain of his wife's, for want of a proper diadem.

From Project Gutenberg

Belisarius attacked at once all three gates of the Hippodrome: that directed against the door of the Kathisma failed, but the soldiery forced both the side entrances, and after a hard struggle the rebels were entirely routed.

From Project Gutenberg

The emperor's box, called the Kathisma, occupied the whole of the short northern side, and contained many hundreds of seats for the imperial retinue.

From Project Gutenberg

The great central throne of the Kathisma was the place in which the monarch showed himself most frequently to his subjects, and around it many strange scenes were enacted.

From Project Gutenberg