dossal

American  

[dos-uhl] / ˈdɒs əl /

Or dossel

noun

1. Also an ornamental hanging placed at the back of an altar or at the sides of the chancel.

2. Archaic. dosser.

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dossal British  

/ ˈdɒsəl /

noun

1. an ornamental hanging, placed at the back of an altar or at the sides of a chancel

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Etymology

Origin of dossal

1650–60; < Medieval Latin dossale, for Latin dorsale, neuter of dorsālis, equivalent to dors ( um ) back + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

The dossal is used where there is no reredos and usually is of the Church color for the Festival or Season.

From The American Church Dictionary and Cyclopedia by Miller, William James

I called in many a craftsmaster    To fix emblazoned glass, To figure Cross and Sepulchre    On dossal, boss, and brass.

From Poems of the Past and the Present by Hardy, Thomas

In 1647 a cushion was made of the dossal.

From The Cathedral Church of York Bell's Cathedrals: A Description of Its Fabric and A Brief History of the Archi-Episcopal See by Clutton-Brock, A. (Arthur)

Leaning heavily upon the lady, at the end he won to her maiden's chamber, where there was a fair bed covered with a rich dossal of broidered silk, edged with fur.

From French Mediaeval Romances from the Lays of Marie de France by France, Marie de