Parvis
//ˈpɑɹ.vəs// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An enclosed courtyard in front of a building, especially a cathedral.
- 2 a courtyard or portico in front of a building (especially a cathedral) wordnet
- 3 A portico surrounding such a space.
- 4 The porch of a church, or the room over it.
Etymology
From Middle English parvis, parvise, parvys, borrowed from Old French parvis, parevis, from Latin paradīsus, from Ancient Greek παράδεισος (parádeisos), ultimately from Proto-Iranian *paridayjah. Used since the Middle Ages to describe the court in front of St Peter's in Rome, and later, similar courts in front of other churches. Doublet of paradise.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.