iconostasis

[ ahy-kuh-nos-tuh-sis ]

/ ˌaɪ kəˈnɒs tə sɪs /

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noun, plural i·co·nos·ta·ses

[ahy-kuh-nos-tuh-seez]. /ˌaɪ kəˈnɒs təˌsiz/. Eastern Church.

a partition or screen on which icons are placed, separating the sanctuary from the main part of the church.

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Also i·con·o·stas

[ahy-kon-uh-stas]. /aɪˈkɒn əˌstæs/.

Origin of iconostasis

From Medieval Greek, dating back to 1825–35; see origin at icono-, stasis

Words nearby iconostasis

iconolatry, iconology, iconomatic, iconophile, iconoscope, iconostasis, icosahedron, icositetrahedron, ICQ, ICS, ICSH

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use iconostasis in a sentence

The Mohammedan conquest of course swept away the ornaments of the interior—the ambo, the iconostasis and the holy table.
Lippincott's Magazine, Vol. 20, No. 33, November 1877|Various
In the iconostasis were the three holy doors—above the middle one a massive cross of gold.
Lippincott's Magazine, Vol. 20, No. 33, November 1877|Various
In front of the iconostasis was an "Entombment," surrounded with young grass amid which little lamps shone.
The Shores of the Adriatic|F. Hamilton Jackson
At Easter time two processional crosses of silver and a Resurrection banner decorate the church outside the iconostasis.
The Shores of the Adriatic|F. Hamilton Jackson

The iconostasis is of the seventeenth century; the paintings are covered with silver plates.
The Shores of the Adriatic|F. Hamilton Jackson

British Dictionary definitions for iconostasis

iconostasis

iconostas (aɪˈkɒnəˌstæs)

/ (ˌaɪkəʊˈnɒstəsɪs) /

noun plural iconostases (ˌaɪkəʊˈnɒstəˌsiːz, aɪˈkɒnəˌstæsɪz)

Eastern Churches a screen with doors and icons set in tiers, which separates the bema (sanctuary) from the nave

Word Origin for iconostasis

C19: Church Latin, from Late Greek eikonostasion shrine, literally: area where images are placed, from icono- + histanai to stand

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