pew
n. countablen. a long wooden seat with a back, usually found in rows inside a church.
n. a long, high-backed wooden bench arranged in rows to provide seating for a congregation.
The old church has uncomfortable wooden pews.
The wedding guests filled every pew until there was only standing room left at the back of the chapel.
Sunlight filtered through the stained glass, casting vibrant patterns across the polished oak pews that had served the small community for over a century.
From Middle English pewe, from Old French puiee, puïe (“balustrade, balcony”), from Latin podia, plural of podium (“parapet, podium”), from Ancient Greek πόδιον (pódion, “little foot”), from πούς (poús, “foot”). Doublet of podia.
See phew.
Onomatopoeic.
Often used with the preposition 'in' ('sitting in a pew').