iconostasis

[ ahy-kuh-nos-tuh-sis ]

/ ˌaɪ kəˈnɒs tə sɪs /

Save This Word!

noun, plural i·co·nos·ta·ses

[ahy-kuh-nos-tuh-seez]. /ˌaɪ kəˈnɒs təˌsiz/. Eastern Church.

a partition or screen on which icons are placed, separating the sanctuary from the main part of the church.

QUIZ

FIRE UP YOUR VOCAB FOR A "RED" SYNONYMS QUIZ

No fire engine reds here, only a fierce collection of vibrant words for the color red to test yourself on.

Question 1 of 7

What does "amaranth" mean?

a legendary stone of impenetrable hardness

an imaginary, undying flower

a mythical creature

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Also i·con·o·stas

[ahy-kon-uh-stas]. /aɪˈkɒn əˌstæs/.

Origin of iconostasis

From Medieval Greek, dating back to 1825–35; see origin at icono-, stasis

Words nearby iconostasis

iconolatry, iconology, iconomatic, iconophile, iconoscope, iconostasis, icosahedron, icositetrahedron, ICP, ICQ, ICS

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use iconostasis in a sentence

The Mohammedan conquest of course swept away the ornaments of the interior—the ambo, the iconostasis and the holy table.
Lippincott's Magazine, Vol. 20, No. 33, November 1877|Various
In the iconostasis were the three holy doors—above the middle one a massive cross of gold.
Lippincott's Magazine, Vol. 20, No. 33, November 1877|Various
In front of the iconostasis was an "Entombment," surrounded with young grass amid which little lamps shone.
The Shores of the Adriatic|F. Hamilton Jackson
At Easter time two processional crosses of silver and a Resurrection banner decorate the church outside the iconostasis.
The Shores of the Adriatic|F. Hamilton Jackson

The iconostasis is of the seventeenth century; the paintings are covered with silver plates.
The Shores of the Adriatic|F. Hamilton Jackson

British Dictionary definitions for iconostasis

iconostasis

iconostas (aɪˈkɒnəˌstæs)

/ (ˌaɪkəʊˈnɒstəsɪs) /

noun plural iconostases (ˌaɪkəʊˈnɒstəˌsiːz, aɪˈkɒnəˌstæsɪz)

Eastern Churches a screen with doors and icons set in tiers, which separates the bema (sanctuary) from the nave

Word Origin for iconostasis

C19: Church Latin, from Late Greek eikonostasion shrine, literally: area where images are placed, from icono- + histanai to stand

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