From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpresidiumpre‧sid‧i‧um, praesidium /prɪˈsɪdiəm, -ˈzɪ-/ noun (plural presidia /-diə/) [countable] PGa committee chosen to represent a large political organization, especially in a communist country
Examples from the Corpus
presidium• A presidium led by a chairman replaced the central committee politburo and secretariat.• It elects a 15-member presidium, which in turn elects a Chairman who serves as State President for a five-year term.• In May 1990 it adopted statutes and elected a five-member presidium and executive body consisting of 10 people.• A 24-member political executive committee was elected to replace the party presidium.• As with the guberniia committees, the small Pomgol presidium conducted nearly all the business, and in considerable secrecy.• The response of the Moscow city soviet presidium to Pugo's decree raised the prospect of rival police forces in the capital.• The presidium would no longer have ex-officio members.Origin presidium (1900-2000) Russian prezidium, from Latin praesidium “military guards”, from praesidere; → PRESIDE 