retable

[ ri-tey-buhl, ree-tey- ]

noun

1. a decorative structure raised above an altar at the back, often forming a frame for a picture, bas-relief, or the like, and sometimes including a shelf or shelves, as for ornaments.

retable

/ rɪˈteɪbəl /

noun

1. an ornamental screenlike structure above and behind an altar, esp one used as a setting for a religious picture or carving

Word History and Origins

Origin of retable¹

1815–25; < French, equivalent to Old French re ( re ) at the back (< Latin retrō ) + table table; compare Medieval Latin retrōtabulum

Word History and Origins

Origin of retable¹

C19: from French, from Spanish retablo , from Latin retrō behind + tabula board; see rear ¹, table

Example Sentences

The 12th century “Stavelot Retable,” loaned by Paris’ Cluny Museum, shows the Christian Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the 12 apostles, courtesy of beams of light radiating from above.

From Los Angeles Times

The bill will now go back to the Commons - where the government has confirmed it will retable the controversial elements removed by peers.

From BBC

From the Westminster Retable altarpiece to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s marriage license, the items are exhibited along four themes - “Building Westminster Abbey”, “Worship and Daily Life”, “Westminster Abbey and the Monarchy” and “The Abbey and National Memory”.

From Reuters

They include the Westminster Retable, England’s oldest altarpiece, dating to the 13th century; the Litlyngton Missal, a magnificent illuminated 14th-century service book with instructions on celebrating Mass throughout the year; and a series of effigies of deceased kings and queens: wood or wax sculptures that were made just before or just after their deaths, and placed on their coffins in funeral processions.

From New York Times

They could change by the time the Supreme Court rules in January, however, and any Article 50 bill could also face trouble in parliament's upper chamber, the House of Lords, although if it blocked the bill the government could retable it.

From Reuters

Related Words

• shrine