baldachin

[ bal-duh-kin, bawl- ]
See synonyms for baldachin on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Also baudekin. Textiles. a silk brocade interwoven with gold or silver threads, used chiefly for ceremonial purposes.

  2. Architecture. a permanent ornamental canopy, as above a freestanding altar or throne.

  1. a portable canopy carried in religious processions.

Origin of baldachin

1
1250–1300; earlier baldakin<Medieval Latin baldakinus<Italian baldacchino, equivalent to Baldacc(o) Baghdad (famous as a source of silk brocades) + -ino-ine1
  • Also bal·dac·chi·no, bal·da·chi·no [bal-duh-kee-noh], /ˌbæl dəˈki noʊ/, bal·da·quin.

Other words from baldachin

  • bal·da·chined, adjective

Words Nearby baldachin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use baldachin in a sentence

  • Under the baldachin hovered a gilded Cupid, spotted and faded, with his arrow aimed at the bed.

    The Precipice | Ivan Goncharov
  • His peculiar use of a very stiff baldachin made people say that he was a master of Raphael.

    The Story of Perugia | Margaret Symonds
  • I take the shrine to be a work of the thirteenth century, though the baldachin is no doubt of later date.

  • Then he took his stand in front of the theatrical chair under the faded baldachin, and sucked at his upper lip.

    Royal Highness | Thomas Mann
  • From the coffered ceiling hangs the metal baldachin, like a precious lantern's chain without a lamp.

British Dictionary definitions for baldachin

baldachin

baldaquin baldachino (ˌbɔːldəˈkiːnəʊ)

/ (ˈbɔːldəkɪn) /


noun
  1. a richly ornamented silk and gold brocade

  2. a canopy of fabric or stone over an altar, shrine, or throne in a Christian church or carried in Christian religious processions over an object of veneration

Origin of baldachin

1
Old English baldekin, from Italian baldacchino, literally: stuff from Baghdad, from Baldacco Baghdad, noted for its brocades

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012