catafalque

[ kat-uh-fawk, -fawlk, -falk ]

/ ˈkæt əˌfɔk, -ˌfɔlk, -ˌfælk /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for catafalque on Thesaurus.com

noun

a raised structure on which the body of a deceased person lies or is carried in state.

a hearse.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of catafalque

1635–45; <French <Italian catafalco<Late Latin *catafalicumscaffold, equivalent to cata-cata- + fal(a) wooden siege tower + -icum, neuter of -icus-ic

Words nearby catafalque

cataclysm, cataclysmic, catacomb, catadioptric, catadromous, catafalque, catagenesis, Catalan, catalase, catalectic, catalepsy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use catafalque in a sentence

All day long and through the night a stream of people filed reverently by the catafalque.
Abraham Lincoln, Volume 2 (of 2)|William H. Herndon
The said alcaldes-in-ordinary and two regidors assisted the fiscal auditor as managers in the construction of that catafalque.
The Philippine Islands, 14931898, Volume XXXVI, 16491666|Various
The body had been placed on a rich catafalque, beneath a canopy of velvet.
The Strand Magazine, Vol. 1 - No. 1,|Various
Then he rose, as pale as death, and walked up the steps of the catafalque.
The Strand Magazine, Vol. 1 - No. 1,|Various

His helmet and breast-plate are always laid upon the catafalque.
Florence and Northern Tuscany with Genoa|Edward Hutton

British Dictionary definitions for catafalque

catafalque

/ (ˈkætəˌfælk) /

noun

a temporary raised platform on which a body lies in state before or during a funeral

Word Origin for catafalque

C17: from French, from Italian catafalco, of uncertain origin; compare scaffold

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

catafalque

Origin of catafalque

Words nearby catafalque

Words related to catafalque

How to use catafalque in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for catafalque

Word Origin for catafalque