pew
/pju/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.41 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
One of the long benches in a church, seating several persons, usually fixed to the floor and facing the chancel.
noun
The congregation of a church.
noun
An enclosed compartment in a church which provides seating for a group of people, often a prominent family.
noun
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.
intj
An expression of disgust in response to an unpleasant odor.
intj
Representative of the sound made by the firing of a gun, particularly a blaster in science fiction.
Example Sentences
- "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."
- "I think a lot of Americans are actually searching for a church that’s relatively apolitical in the pulpit and the pews."
- "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."
- "[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; […]"
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /pju/
- British English: /pjuː/