dais

noun

da·​is ˈdā-əs 

nonstandard

ˈdī- 

: a raised platform (as in a hall or large room)

Mounting the dais which had been set up for his use, he swirled the sinister cloak about him and sat down in the Abbot's chair.

—Brian Jacques

Synonyms

• platform
• podium
• rostrum
• stage
• stand
• tribune

Examples of dais in a Sentence

the speaker took his place at the front of the dais

Recent Examples on the Web

Depending on how the mayor’s race shakes out, a third newcomer could also be seated at the head of the dais. —Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 8 July 2024

On Tuesday morning, hours before the start of MLB’s postseason, Melvin and Johnson flanked Buster Posey on the dais as the franchise icon laid out his vision as Zaidi’s successor. —Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 1 Oct. 2024

Hall’s departure signals a changing of the guard as the council is guaranteed to see at least two new faces seated on the dais in the coming term. —Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 9 July 2024

Sitting on the dais was Brinkema, who listened quietly except to ask a rare follow-up question or to hurry things along. —Brian Fung, CNN, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English deis, des "high table, elevated platform occupied by a court or council," borrowed from Anglo-French deis, dais (continental Old French deis "table of honor set up on a platform"), going back to Medieval Latin discus "raised table, platform," going back to Latin, "discus, kind of plate, gong," borrowed from Greek dískos "discus," in Late Greek also "dish, round mirror, the sun's disk, gong" — more at discus

Note: See note at dish entry 1. The predominant form in Middle French is dois, which should have resulted in Modern French [dwa]; the reason for the outcome dais [dɛ], with the presumed shift [dwɛ] to [dɛ], is in this, as in a number of parallel cases, unclear. As pointed out by the Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, the English word was, excepting Scots, out of use by 1600; the current word is an antiquarian revival, with the spelling presumably copying modern French.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

dais

noun

da·​is ˈdā-əs 

: a raised platform (as in a large room)