feretory
Americannoun
-
a container for the relics of a saint; reliquary.
-
an enclosure or area within a church where such a reliquary is kept.
-
a portable bier or shrine.
noun
-
a shrine, usually portable, for a saint's relics
-
the chapel in which a shrine is kept
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of feretory
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English fertre, feretory, firetree, from Old French fiertre, from Latin feretrum, from Greek phė́retron “bier, litter”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The great Reredos, which separates the presbytery from the feretory and the eastern end of the church, is, to judge from its style, late fifteenth-century work.
From Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Winchester A Description of Its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal See by Sergeant, Philip Walsingham
As one passes beyond the feretory through the retro-choir, the Chantry of William Waynflete stands to the north of the central alley.
From Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Winchester A Description of Its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal See by Sergeant, Philip Walsingham
The feretory made by Abbot Geoffrey still contained the bones of the martyr; this was now covered by the work of Abbot Symeon, which was made of large size so as to contain the other.
From Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Saint Albans With an Account of the Fabric & a Short History of the Abbey by Perkins, Thomas, Rev.
The fragments now in the feretory are often very fine, but are most of them sadly mutilated.
From Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Winchester A Description of Its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal See by Sergeant, Philip Walsingham
Between us and the saint's feretory is a fifteenth-century screen, which is faced on this side by a modern reredos, designed by Sir G. Scott.
From Westminster Abbey by Fulleylove, John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
