catafalque

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

See more 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.

Origin of catafalque

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for catafalque

box, casket, bier

Examples from the Web for catafalque

Historical Examples of catafalque

Prepare the catafalque in St. Martin's church, and place it before the altar!
A Word Only A Word, Complete
Georg Ebers
The catafalque bore a notice to the effect that he had abjured heresy.
Mysteries of Police and Crime
Arthur Griffiths
Then he rose, as pale as death, and walked up the steps of the catafalque.
The Strand Magazine, Vol. 1 - No. 1,
Various
Boris could not imagine how any human being could sleep in such a catafalque.
The Precipice
Ivan Goncharov
The whole appearance of the catafalque was tasteful and elegant.
The Life and Public Services of James A. Garfield
Emma Elizabeth Brown

British Dictionary definitions for catafalque

catafalque

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

Word Origin and History for catafalque

1640s, from French catafalque (17c.), from Italian catafalco "scaffold," from Vulgar Latin *catafalicum, from Greek kata- "down" (see cata-), used in Medieval Latin with a sense of "beside, alongside" + fala "scaffolding, wooden siege tower," a word said to be of Etruscan origin. The Medieval Latin word also yielded Old French chaffaut, chafaud (Modern French échafaud) "scaffold."