Other forms: pews
A pew is a long wooden bench with a back. You'll find many rows of pews in most churches.
Some courtrooms have pews, but mostly they're found in churches, as seating for the congregation and sometimes for the members of a choir. After the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, pews began to appear in churches. Before that, they were rare, as sitting and listening to a sermon was uncommon. Many of these earliest pews were paid for by (and considered the property of) individual families. Pew shares a Latin root with podium.