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Chairman vs Founder - What's the difference?

chairman | founder |

As nouns the difference between chairman and founder

is that chairman is a person (implied male) presiding over a meeting while founder is one who founds, establishes, and erects; one who lays a foundation; an author; one from whom something originates; one who endows.

As a verb founder is

of a ship, to fill with water and sink.

chairman

Noun

(chairmen)
  • A person (implied male) presiding over a meeting.
  • The head of a corporate or governmental board of directors, a committee, or other formal entity.
  • (historical) Someone whose job is to carry people in a portable chair, sedan chair, or similar conveyance.
  • * 1749 , Henry Fielding, Tom Jones , Folio Society 1973, p. 618:
  • Mr Western entered; but not before a small wrangling bout had passed between him and his chairmen ; for the fellows, who had taken up their burden at the Hercules Pillars, had conceived no hopes of having any future good customer in the squire [...]
  • * 1836 , Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers ?
  • Mr. Winkle, catching sight of a lady's face at the window of the sedan, turned hastily round, plied the knocker with all his might and main, and called frantically upon the chairman to take the chair away again.

    Usage notes

    Historically meant a man, now also used for women.

    Antonyms

    * chairwoman

    Hypernyms

    * chair, chairperson * presiding officer, presider

    founder

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who founds, establishes, and erects; one who lays a foundation; an author; one from whom something originates; one who endows.
  • (genetics) Someone for whose parents one has no data.
  • Antonyms
    * (one who founds) ruiner

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The iron worker in charge of the blast furnace and the smelting operation.
  • * 1957 , H.R. Schubert, History of the British Iron and Steel Industry , p. 161.
  • The term 'founder' was applied in the British iron industry long afterwards to the ironworker in charge of the blast furnace and the smelting operation.
  • One who casts metals in various forms; a caster.
  • a founder of cannon, bells, hardware, or printing types

    Etymology 3

    From (etyl)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • Of a ship, to fill with water and sink.
  • * 1719 ,
  • We were not much more than a quarter of an hour out of our ship but we saw her sink, and then I understood for the first time what was meant by a ship foundering in the sea.
  • To fall; to stumble and go lame, as a horse.
  • To disable or lame (a horse) by causing internal inflammation and soreness in the feet or limbs.
  • To fail; to miscarry.
  • * Shakespeare
  • All his tricks founder .

    Usage notes

    Frequently confused with flounder. Both may be applied to the same situation, the difference is the severity of the action: floundering'' (struggling to maintain position) comes first, followed by ''foundering (losing it by falling, sinking or failing).

    Anagrams

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