What does "prie-dieu" mean?

A piece of furniture on which someone can pray, consisting of a cushioned area to kneel on, with a built-in ledge for books.

What is a synonym for "prie-dieu"?

Common synonyms include: chrismal, corporal.

Prie-dieu

//pɹiːˈdjəː// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
A piece of furniture on which someone can pray, consisting of a cushioned area to kneel on, with a built-in ledge for books.
"Leaning her childish face and full chin on the shelf of the prie-Dieu, her eyes fixed, she laughed, out of some hidden capacity, some lost subterranean humour [...]."
2
low bench for kneeling on wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

chrismal corporal

Example

More examples

"Leaning her childish face and full chin on the shelf of the prie-Dieu, her eyes fixed, she laughed, out of some hidden capacity, some lost subterranean humour [...]."

Etymology

From French prie-Dieu, from prie (“pray”) + Dieu (“God”).

More for "prie-dieu"

Synonyms Sentences Pronunciation Translate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation Browse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.