parvis

[ pahr-vis ]

noun
  1. a vacant enclosed area in front of a church.

  2. a colonnade or portico in front of a church.

Origin of parvis

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Middle French; Old French pare(v)is<Late Latin paradīsus church courtyard, originally the one before St. Peter's, Rome. See paradise

Words Nearby parvis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use parvis in a sentence

  • Robin was convicted of sorcery, and, persevering in his error, was burned alive in the Place du parvis.

  • parvis's voice seemed to come to her from far off, down endless, fog-muffled windings.

    Tales Of Men And Ghosts | Edith Wharton
  • She nodded at parvis with the look of triumph of a child who has successfully worked out a difficult puzzle.

    Tales Of Men And Ghosts | Edith Wharton
  • parvis, at Mary's first startled cry, had thrown her a sobering glance through his impartial glasses.

    Tales Of Men And Ghosts | Edith Wharton
  • parvis emitted the statement as unemotionally as a gramophone grinding out its "record."

    Tales Of Men And Ghosts | Edith Wharton

British Dictionary definitions for parvis

parvis

parvise

/ (ˈpɑːvɪs) /


noun
  1. a court or portico in front of a building, esp a church

Origin of parvis

1
C14: via Old French from Late Latin paradīsus paradise

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