pre•sid•i•um
Pronunciation: (pri-sid'ē-um), [key]
— pl. -sid•i•ums, -sid•i•a
- (in the Soviet Union and other Communist countries) an administrative committee, usually permanent and governmental, acting when its parent body is in recess but exercising full powers: the presidium of the Supreme Soviet.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.