parvis

[ pahr-vis ]

/ ˈpɑr vɪs /

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noun

a vacant enclosed area in front of a church.

a colonnade or portico in front of a church.

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Also called paradise.

Origin of parvis

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

Pārvatī, parve, parvenu, parvenue, parvifoliate, parvis, parvo, parvovirus, Parzival, pas, Pasadena

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

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.
The Merrie Tales Of Jacques Tournebroche|Anatole France
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

a court or portico in front of a building, esp a church

Word Origin for parvis

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