parclose

[ pahr-klohz ]

/ ˈpɑrˌkloʊz /

noun

(in a church) a screen dividing one area from another, as a chapel from an aisle.

Nearby words

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

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for parclose

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
Great inconvenience often arises from the exclusive character of the parclose.
Stones of the Temple|Walter Field
The Parclose Screen, separating the choir from the presbytery, is a peculiar feature of this Cathedral.
The Cathedrals of Great Britain|P. H. Ditchfield
Within this screen, evidently a good many years later, a manorial pew was made, the side of which is within the parclose.
Nooks and Corners of Old England|Allan Fea

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

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