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catafalque

 - 4 dictionary results

cat⋅a⋅falque

  [kat-uh-fawk, -fawlk, -falk]
Use catafalque in a Sentence
–noun
1. a raised structure on which the body of a deceased person lies or is carried in state.
2. a hearse.
Origin:
1635–45; < F < It catafalco < LL *catafalicum scaffold, equiv. to cata- cata- + fal(a) wooden siege tower + -icum, neut. of -icus -ic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cat·a·falque   (kāt'ə-fālk', -fôlk')   
n.  

  1. A decorated platform or framework on which a coffin rests in state during a funeral.

  2. Roman Catholic Church A coffin-shaped structure draped with a pall, used to represent the corpse at a requiem Mass celebrated after the burial.


[French, from Italian catafalco.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

catafalque 
1641, from Fr. catafalque, from It. catafalco "scaffold," from V.L. *catafalicum, from Gk. kata- "down," used in M.L. with a sense of "beside, alongside" + fala "scaffolding."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

catafalque

ornate, often theatrical, usually movable funereal structure mounted on a stage to support a coffin for a lying-in-state. It is used for royalty and personages of distinction and is normally set up in a historic public hall, such as Westminster Hall, London, and the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. The reputation of the Spanish architect Jose Churriguera, known for his exuberant and fantastic Baroque style, was established overnight in 1689 by his design for the catafalque for Queen Maria Louisa, first wife of Charles II. Certain European shrines of saints in which the body is visible are sometimes regarded as catafalques.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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