reredos

[ reer-dos, reer-i-, rair-i- ]
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noun
  1. a screen or a decorated part of the wall behind an altar in a church.

  2. the back of a fireplace or of a medieval open hearth.

Origin of reredos

1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, alteration of Anglo-French areredos, equivalent to Middle French arere “behind” + dos “back” (from Latin dorsum ); see arrears

Words Nearby reredos

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British Dictionary definitions for reredos

reredos

/ (ˈrɪədɒs) /


noun
  1. a screen or wall decoration at the back of an altar, in the form of a hanging, tapestry, painting, or piece of metalwork or sculpture

  2. another word for fireback (def. 1)

Origin of reredos

1
C14: from Old French areredos, from arere behind + dos back, from Latin dorsum

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