Is it a chair, a seat, or something else?

June 7, 2023 12:37 PM

It is a word for something people sit on, (so exclude a recliner). It has 4 (in most cases) legs. It could be made of metal, wood, bamboo for example. Isn't there another word (one word) for it?
posted by amfgf to Writing & Language (24 answers total)

Best answer: Stool.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 12:40 PM on June 7, 2023

Best answer: Stool?
posted by delphic at 12:40 PM on June 7, 2023

Best answer: Too bad I didn’t see this in time — I could've added the third leg (for stability's sake).

Yes, a stool.
posted by jamjam at 12:44 PM on June 7, 2023

Best answer: Bench?
posted by capnsue at 12:44 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I'll throw in "throne." Divan? Chaise? Cathedra? Hassock?
posted by adekllny at 12:47 PM on June 7, 2023

Best answer: Stools are generally much lower than a chair, though, so they don’t really perform the same function. At least not as well as a chair.

Bench is good.

Seat?
posted by Thorzdad at 12:47 PM on June 7, 2023

Best answer: Are you saying, "one word that includes chairs, stools, sofas, benches, etc." or are you looking for the word for a particular type of seating?
posted by mskyle at 12:47 PM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Barstool, if it’s taller.
posted by mhoye at 12:49 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Stool. The reason most have three legs is that they always can fit a surface when four legs can't unless the surface is 'level and flat ', Three legs can perch on any surface, four can't.
posted by zengargoyle at 12:51 PM on June 7, 2023

Best answer: Benches seat more than one. A stool is a single person thing unless you're going for Roman Sex (fun mind you). Stools fall into the single person seated category. Height doesn't matter that much at all, there are low stools and high stools (remember those?). Usually round, sometime square or whatever.
posted by zengargoyle at 12:55 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: A seat, or seating.
posted by JimN2TAW at 1:15 PM on June 7, 2023 [6 favorites]

Best answer: The most general term is probably "seating".
posted by mr_roboto at 1:17 PM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Off the top of my head, bench, stool, throne, pew, settee, ottoman, armchair, loveseat. You seem to be asking for one-word synonyms for seat, excluding recliner.
posted by emelenjr at 1:31 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: “Seating” is usually what people say for that, but I’ve also heard people use “seat” as a generic term, depending on the context.
posted by Mchelly at 1:44 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I would say seat. "I'll get you a seat" could mean a chair or a barstool or a beanbag or a floor cushion or "let's push the sofa in from the next room" or literally anything that I expect you to sit on.
posted by hydropsyche at 2:03 PM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]

Best answer: It's hard to tell from your question whether you are seeking a particular word or you would like creative alternatives.

If the latter then "perch" is nice.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 4:35 PM on June 7, 2023

Best answer: Are you asking what is the word for the category of legged furniture that seats one, and includes chairs and stools? That would be a seat or seating, but many people would colloquially say chair.

Or are you asking for other examples of legged seats?

Or are you asking for creative/alternative terms that mean chair or seat?
posted by kapers at 5:08 PM on June 7, 2023

Best answer: My vote is for seat as well
posted by potrzebie at 5:27 PM on June 7, 2023

Best answer: But a seat doesn't doesn't necessitate having legs. Carseat. Seat could be a length of log set on end.

Is OP trying to find a third word as universally applicable as chair or seat?
posted by porpoise at 5:46 PM on June 7, 2023

Best answer: I’m probably in the minority, but I think of “chair” as name of the category for all things with legs that you sit on. A stool is sort of a degenerate chair.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 6:41 PM on June 7, 2023

Best answer: I think a chair has to have a back? Stools don't have backs.
posted by emeiji at 6:53 PM on June 7, 2023

Best answer: I think "seat" is the generic term for anything designed for people to sit on. "Stool" means it's designed for one person and has legs (or a leg like structure) but no back, "chair" is designed for one person and has legs (or leg like structure) and a back, "bench" is designed for multiple people sitting in a line and otherwise resembles a chair or stool.

"Chair" and "seat" are both inclusive of recliners. I don't think there's a single word that means "non reclining chair".
posted by quacks like a duck at 6:34 AM on June 8, 2023

Best answer: There's also a swing, and not mentioned yet a rocking chair that fulfill the place to sit on. Oh, and you could trow a saddle into the mix.
posted by zengargoyle at 8:34 AM on June 8, 2023

Response by poster: Everyone, Thanks. Come to think of it, they are all chairs.

I thought yesterday I posted to answering your questions for clarification.
I don't see anything that shows it was removed, like " ...was deleted because .....". Maybe there is a glitch. Did any of you read it?
I tried to clarify what I meant and that you can't read my mind ...And I added "Thanks for actually answering the question as a vocabulary question instead of something like "people are sitting on beds and floors" or anything else that doesn't answer the vocabulary question.
posted by amfgf at 1:18 PM on June 8, 2023 [1 favorite]