sedile

[ se-dahy-lee ]

noun,plural se·dil·i·a

[se-dil-ee-uh]. /sɛˈdɪl i ə/. Ecclesiastical.

one of the seats (usually three) on the south side of the chancel, often recessed, for the use of the officiating clergy.

Origin of sedile

1785–95; <Latin sedīle sitting-place, equivalent to sed(ēre) to sit¹ + -īle neuter noun suffix

This is beneath a sept-foiled arch, beside which is another strangely irregular (p. 210) arch over a sedile.
Highways and Byways in Cambridge and Ely | Rev. Edward Conybeare.
Elfride, in turning her head, saw something shine weakly from a crevice in the rocky sedile.
A Pair of Blue Eyes | Thomas Hardy
At the E. end is a piscina and a sedile, each under an elaborate triple ogee canopy.
Somerset | G.W. Wade and J.H. Wade
The sanctuary contains a sedile and piscina, and a stoup and a rougher piscina will be found in the nave.
Somerset | G.W. Wade and J.H. Wade
A single sedile for one person only is occasionally met with, but not often.
The Principles of Gothic Ecclesiastical Architecture, Elucidated by Question and Answer, 4th ed. | Matthew Holbeche Bloxam

Browse