praesidere

Praesidere is a Latin verb meaning to preside, to be in charge of, or to oversee. The form is formed from prae- “before, in front of” and sedere “to sit,” literally “to sit in front.” It is a second-conjugation verb; the infinitive is praesidere. Present active indicative forms include praesideo (I preside), praesides (you preside), praesidet (he presides); praesidēmus, praesidētis, praesident. The perfect active is praesedi and the supine is praesessum, with standard perfect and participial formations.

Praesidere is used in contexts where one chairs a body or proceedings, such as a senate, court, council, or assembly. The subject is the presiding officer, and the thing presided over is commonly expressed in the dative, as in praesidet curiae “he presides over the court,” or with a prepositional phrase.

In Latin literature, praesidere appears in political, juridical, and ecclesiastical discourse to denote chairing or presiding over meetings and proceedings. Related nouns include praeses, meaning “presiding officer” or “president,” and praesidium, meaning “protection” or “defence,” from the same root. The English verb preside and the noun president derive from this root through Latin praeses and related forms. Praesidere thus provides the textual source for terms describing leadership and orderly conduct in formal settings across Latin and later legal and ecclesiastical vocabulary.