Being in charge of a meeting, ceremony, or organization; leading or governing from a position of authority.
From Latin 'praesidere' ('prae-' meaning before + 'sedere' meaning to sit), literally 'to sit before or in front of'; the metaphor of the leader sitting at the head has ancient roots.
The original Latin literally meant 'to sit before,' and that's exactly why judges, presidents, and chairpeople sit at the front of rooms—it's a 2,000-year-old position that's still baked into our body language and furniture arrangements.
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