reredos
[ reer-dos, reer-i-, rair-i- ]
/ ˈrɪər dɒs, ˈrɪər ɪ-, ˈrɛər ɪ- /
noun
a screen or a decorated part of the wall behind an altar in a church.
the back of a fireplace or of a medieval open hearth.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
rerailing, reread, rerebrace, rerecording, reredorter, reredos, rerelease, reremai, reremouse, rereward, reroute
Origin of reredos
1325–75; Middle English, alteration of Anglo-French areredos, equivalent to Middle French arere behind (see arrear) + dos back (< Latin dorsum)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for reredos
British Dictionary definitions for reredos
reredos
/ (ˈrɪədɒs) /
noun
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
another word for fireback (def. 1)
Word Origin for reredos
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
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Word Origin and History for reredos
reredos
"screen behind an altar," late 14c., from Anglo-French rere-, archaic comb. form of rear (n.), + dos "back" (see dossier). Klein's sources suggest it is aphetic of Anglo-French areredos, from Old French arere "at the back" (Modern French arrière).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper