parclose

[ pahr-klohz ]

/ ˈpɑrˌkloʊz /

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noun

(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

Words nearby parclose

Parcheesi, parchment, parchmentize, parchment paper, parchment worm, parclose, parcours, parcourse, pard, pardah, pardalote

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use parclose in a sentence

The people occupy the choir, hemmed in between these rails and the parclose screens under the side arches.
Some Account of Gothic Architecture in Spain|George Edmund Street
There are no signs of any parclose screens across the transept, and the position of the chapel of Sta.
Some Account of Gothic Architecture in Spain|George Edmund Street
The north porch, separated by a parclose from the chapel of the Cross, has an excellent Transitional door.
Some Account of Gothic Architecture in Spain|George Edmund Street
The carved parclose of stone and two altar-tombs to the Hanhams are the chief points of interest.
Nooks and Corners of Old England|Allan Fea

The screen and parclose screen are also good, and the communion rails and table in the vestry are of Elizabethan date.
Nooks and Corners of Old England|Allan Fea

British Dictionary definitions for parclose

parclose

/ (ˈpɑːˌkləʊz) /

noun

a screen or railing in a church separating off an altar, chapel, etc

Word Origin for parclose

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