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parclose

[pahr-klohz]
See more synonyms for parclose on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. (in a church) a screen dividing one area from another, as a chapel from an aisle.
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Also perclose.
Compare rood screen.

Origin of parclose

1300–50; Middle English < Middle French, noun use of feminine of parclos, past participle of parclore to enclose fully. See per-, close
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for parclose

Historical Examples

  • At Wensley we saw the carved sides of what was once their parclose.

    Motor tours in Yorkshire

    Mrs. Rodolph Stawell

  • Great inconvenience often arises from the exclusive character of the parclose.

  • The Parclose Screen, separating the choir from the presbytery, is a peculiar feature of this Cathedral.

  • The carved sides of this were originally part of the parclose by which the tombs of the Scropes were surrounded in Easby Abbey.

    Motor tours in Yorkshire

    Mrs. Rodolph Stawell

  • The people occupy the choir, hemmed in between these rails and the parclose screens under the side arches.

British Dictionary definitions for parclose

parclose

noun
  1. a screen or railing in a church separating off an altar, chapel, etc
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Word Origin

C14: from Old French, noun use of past participle of parclore to close off; see per-, close 1
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