parclose

[pahr-klohz]

noun

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

parclose

/ ˈpɑːˌkləʊz /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of parclose¹

1300–50; Middle English < Middle French, noun use of feminine of parclos, past participle of parclore to enclose fully. See per-, close

Word History and Origins

Origin of parclose¹

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

Example Sentences

To begin with, you think you are watching an animated Powerpoint lecture on church architecture: descriptions of nave and parclose, rood screen and choir, with animated, 3D drawings and still black-and-white closeups of choir stalls; there are ornaments, medieval beasts, foliage and people.

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On the west panel of the northern parclose may be discerned the figures of St. Erconwald and St. Edmund, both members of the royal line of East Anglia.

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"Pardon me, my friend, but I am ignorant as to what you mean by the word parclose."

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

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The only entrance is through the great iron parclose or reja at the east.

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