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ex ca⋅the⋅dra

  [eks kuh-thee-druh, kath-i-druh]
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–noun
from the seat of authority; with authority: used esp. of those pronouncements of the pope that are considered infallible.
Origin:
1810–20; < L ex cathedrā lit., from the chair
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ex ca·the·dra   (ěks' kə-thē'drə)   
adv.   & adj.
With the authority derived from one's office or position: the pope speaking ex cathedra; ex cathedra determinations.

[Latin ex cathedrā : ex, from + cathedrā, ablative of cathedra, chair.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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ex cathedra [(eks kuh-thee-druh)]

Descriptive term for an official pronouncement from the pope. Ex cathedra is Latin for “from the chair.” Roman Catholics believe that the pope speaks infallibly when speaking ex cathedra on questions of faith or morals, such as when Pope Pius XII declared in 1950 that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was physically taken up to heaven after her death.

Note: Figuratively, any authoritative pronouncement may be called “ex cathedra.”
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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ex cathedra 
L. "from the (teacher's) chair."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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