A folding stool or bench used in Christian churches, especially by bishops during services, or a portable ecclesiastical seat.
From Old English faldan (to fold) and stōl (stool), combined to create a compound word. The faldstool was documented in medieval church records and appears in illuminated manuscripts showing church ceremonies.
Before modern chairs, bishops used falderstools—actual portable folding seats that they'd carry into church, making them the medieval ancestors of camping chairs!
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