From Greek 'kathedra' (seat) — a cathedral's defining feature is the bishop's throne, not its size or grandeur.
The principal church of a diocese, containing the bishop's throne (cathedra).
From Late Latin 'cathedrālis (ecclēsia),' meaning '(church) of the chair,' from Latin 'cathedra' (a seat, an armchair, a professorial chair), borrowed from Ancient Greek 'καθέδρα' (kathedra, a seat), from 'κατά' (kata, down) and 'ἕδρα' (hedra, seat, base, face of a geometric solid). A cathedral is literally a 'church of the chair' — the chair being the bishop's throne, which is the defining feature that distinguishes a cathedral from any other church. The word 'chair' itself descends from the same Greek root via Latin 'cathedra' through Old French 'chaiere.' Key roots: κατά (kata) (Ancient Greek: "down
A cathedral is literally a 'chair church.' The word has nothing to do with size, grandeur, or architecture — a cathedral is defined solely by the presence of the bishop's cathedra (throne). A tiny church with a bishop's seat is a cathedral; an enormous church without one is not. The phrase 'ex cathedra' (from the chair), used for papal pronouncements made with full authority, comes from the same root. And the English