desk
/dɛsk/
Frequency: 4.43 in modern English
Meaning
noun
A table, frame, or case, in past centuries usually with a sloping top but now usually with a flat top, for the use of writers and readers. It often has a drawer or repository underneath.
noun
A reading table or lectern to support the book from which the liturgical service is read, differing from the pulpit from which the sermon is preached; also (especially in the United States), a pulpit. Hence, used symbolically for the clerical profession.
noun
A department tasked with a particular topic or focus in certain types of businesses, such as newspapers and financial trading firms.
noun
Ellipsis of mixing desk.
noun
A station for a string player in an orchestra, consisting of a chair and a music stand, or a row of such stations.
Example Sentences
- "She organized her notes neatly on her desk before starting the project."
- "The desk was cluttered with papers and books, making it hard to concentrate."
- "He sat at his desk for hours, trying to finish the report."
- "Here, in the transept and choir, where the service was being held, one was conscious every moment of an increasing brightness; colours glowing vividly beneath the circular chandeliers, and the rows of small lights on the choristers' desks flashed and sparkled in front of the boys' faces, deep linen collars, and red neckbands."
- "the city desk, the sports desk"
- "the options desk, the equities desk"
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /dɛsk/
- British English: /dɛsk/