pew
Part of speech: noun
verb
intj
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From Middle English pewe, from Old French puiee, puïe (“balustrade, balcony”), from Latin podia, plural of podium (“parapet, podium”), from Ancient Greek πόδιον (pódion, “little foot”), from πούς (poús, “foot”). Doublet of podia.
Inflected forms:
form: pews
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: pews
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: pewing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: pewed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: pewed
pos: verb
tags: past
form: P U
pos: intj
tags: alternative
form: P.U.
pos: intj
tags: alternative
form: peeyoo
pos: intj
tags: alternative
form: phew
pos: intj
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: One of the long benches in a church, seating several persons, usually fixed to the floor and facing the chancel.
pos: noun
examples: In many churches some pews are reserved for either clerical or liturgical officials such as canons, or for prominent families.
No, we can't have alphabetical seating in the abbey. You'd have Iraq and Iran next to each other (laugh track)... Plus Israel and Jordan all sitting in the same pew (laugh track)! We'd be in danger of starting World War III (laugh track)!
The pews are filling up, notably with young people, Gen Z's attendance at church has quadrupled in recent years—from a small base, but the significance lies more in the direction of travel.
gloss: The congregation of a church.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
in-plural
examples: I think a lot of Americans are actually searching for a church that’s relatively apolitical in the pulpit and the pews.
gloss: An enclosed compartment in a church which provides seating for a group of people, often a prominent family.
pos: noun
examples: At St. Patrick’s Cathedral, firefighters in dress blues and white gloves escorted families to the pews for a memorial service, led by Mr. Bloomberg, to honor the 343 Fire Department employees killed on 9/11.
gloss: Any structure shaped like a church pew, such as a stall, formerly used by money lenders, etc.; a box in a theatre; or a pen or sheepfold.
pos: noun
examples: [H]e, a lollard indeed over his elbovv-cuſhion, in almoſt the ſeaventh part of 40. or 50. years teaches them ſcarce half the principles of religion; and his ſheep oft-times ſit the vvhile to as little purpoſe of benifiting as the ſheep in thir pues at Smithfield; […]
my wife and I […]did get into the play, the only one we have seen this winter: it was “The Five Hours’ Adventure:” but I sat so far I could not hear well, nor was there any pretty woman that I did see, but my wife, who sat in my Lady Fox’s pew with her.
gloss: A chair; a seat.
pos: noun
tags: colloquial
humorous
examples: Pull up a pew.
Victor Crabbe's headmaster was a little man called Boothby […] who subscribed to a popular book club and had many long-playing records, who invited people to curry tiffin and said, "Take a pew."
gloss: To furnish with pews.
pos: verb
examples: building a gallery and altering the pewing in the church at Catherington
gloss: An expression of disgust in response to an unpleasant odor.
pos: intj
Derived words: bepewed
churchwarden's pew
pewage
pewdom
pewfellow
pewful
pewholder
pewholding
pewless
pewlike
pewmate
pew-opener
pull up a pew
take a pew
Translations:
lang: Bulgarian
word: църковна пейка
roman: cǎrkovna pejka
lang: Czech
word: kostelní lavice
lang: Danish
word: kirkebænk
lang: Danish
word: kirkestol
lang: Dutch
word: kerkbank
lang: Finnish
word: kirkonpenkki
lang: French
word: banc de fidèle
lang: French
word: banc d’église
lang: German
word: Kirchenbank
lang: German
word: Bank
lang: Hawaiian
word: noho
lang: Irish
word: suíochán
lang: Italian
word: panca
lang: Italian
word: banco
lang: Italian
word: scanno
lang: Italian
word: stallo
lang: Italian
word: inginocchiatoio
lang: Italian
word: scranno
lang: Middle English
word: pewe
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: kirkebenk
lang: Norwegian Nynorsk
word: kyrkjebenk
lang: Polish
word: ławka
lang: Portuguese
word: banco de igreja
lang: Russian
word: церко́вная скамья́
roman: cerkóvnaja skamʹjá
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: suidheachan
lang: Slovak
word: lavica (v kostole)
lang: Lower Sorbian
word: cerkwina ławka
lang: Spanish
word: banco de iglesia
lang: Swedish
word: kyrkbänk
lang: Welsh
word: côr
lang: Welsh
word: sedd
lang: Welsh
word: sêt
lang: Welsh
word: eisteddfainc
lang: Welsh
word: eisteddfeinciau