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baldachin

American  
[bal-duh-kin, bawl-] / ˈbæl də kɪn, ˈbɔl- /
Also baldacchino,

noun

  1. Textiles. Also 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.

  3. a portable canopy carried in religious processions.


baldachin British  
/ 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

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of baldachin

1250–1300; earlier baldakin < Medieval Latin baldakinus < Italian baldacchino, equivalent to Baldacc ( o ) Baghdad (famous as a source of silk brocades) + -ino -ine 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Start your tour with the baldachin, the great canopy over the papal altar and St. Peter’s tomb, crafted by master artist and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

From National Geographic Jul. 18, 2015

We can see St. Matthew on the left above the baldachin, and St. John on the right.

From National Geographic Jul. 18, 2015

HE had the rheumy eyes of a bloodhound, the jowls of a St. Bernard and a baldachin of white hair like that of an extraordinarily unkempt poodle.

From Time Magazine Archive

Overhead was hung a monster baldachin or canopy.

From Time Magazine Archive

The bronze that formerly ornamented this temple was made use of to fabricate the baldachin of St Peter's.

From After Waterloo: Reminiscences of European Travel 1815-1819 by Major W. E Frye

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