Word of the Day – Reredos

Reredos (noun)

ree-red-os

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.

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

Example sentences

“The retablo of the High Altar is in character, articulate and graceful, unlike the usual, overladen reredos of Spain.”