reredos
- noun
- /ˈrɪrɪˌdɔs/
- Specialized
:
retablo
- This church is famous for its intricate wooden reredos depicting scenes from the Bible.
Examples
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Restorers carefully cleaned the painted reredos behind the main altar.
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The cathedral's magnificent reredos was carved from marble in the 18th century.
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The church's reredos was beautifully carved.
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Many reredoses feature intricate designs.
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The cathedral's magnificent reredos was carved from marble in the 18th century.
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This church is famous for its intricate wooden reredos depicting scenes from the Bible.
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Restorers carefully cleaned the painted reredos behind the main altar.
Synonyms
1
8.6
A painted or carved panel placed above and behind an altar in a church showing religious pictures
A decorated structure behind a church altar with paintings and carvings
Decorated screen behind an altar that holds candles or religious art
How Ornate
Surface Forms
Morphology
reredos = rere + dos
The parts reflect archaic/loan elements meaning 'back' (rere- + dos) that are not productive in modern English, so learners cannot reliably derive the meaning from the components.
Etymology
The word reredos is made from two parts, rear and dos, both meaning 'back', so it really means 'back of the altar'. That's why a reredos is the decorated screen placed behind and above the altar.