Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A sculpted figure of a recumbent dead person, often on top of a sarcophagus, typically forming part of a funerary monument.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[French, from present participle of gésir, to lie, from Old French gesir; see gist.]
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word gisant.
Examples
-
The hero is represented kneeling on a catafalque beneath which the gisant appears as a naked, emaciated corpse, "such as death has made it for us".
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 8: Infamy-Lapparent 1840-1916 1913
-
Its main theme consists of a gisant or recumbent effigy of the deceased, laid upon a funeral couch surmounting the sarcophagus, upon the sides of which a procession of mourners is represented.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 8: Infamy-Lapparent 1840-1916 1913
oroboros commented on the word gisant
The sculptural figure on top of a sarcophagus of the person inside according to NPR's Says You!. See <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gisant">more</a>.
October 31, 2015