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frithstool

American  
[frith-stool] / ˈfrɪθˌstʊl /

noun

  1. (in Anglo-Saxon England) a seat in a church, placed near the altar, for persons who claimed the right of sanctuary.

Etymology

Origin of frithstool

before 1000; Old English frithstōl, equivalent to frith peace, security (akin to Old Norse frithr, Gothic Frithareiks Frederick; see friend) + stōl stool

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.

There was a frithstool endowed with similar privileges at York Minster, and another at Durham.

From The Customs of Old England by Snell, F. J. (Frederick John)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.