iconostasis means A wall of icons between the sanctuary and the nave in an Eastern Orthodox church. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
iconostasis is pronounced /ˌaɪkəˈnɒstəsɪs/.
Why “iconostasis” is a great word
ICONOSTASIS — [Noun] A wall or screen adorned with icons that separates the sanctuary from the nave in an Eastern Orthodox church. From Byzantine Greek εἰκονόστασις (eikonóstasis), from εἰκών (eikṓn, "icon, image") + στάσις (stásis, "standing, fixture"). Unlike a reredos, a decorative Western altarpiece, or a chancel screen, an open architectural partition, the iconostasis is a dense, dogmatic fixture—a theology rendered in wood and pigment. It is the cool, fragrant darkness before the screen, the candlelight pooling on the solemn faces of the saints in their strict rows, and the glimpsed flame moving behind the Royal Doors; a boundary that does not conceal the divine but makes its mystery tactile.
noun
- A wall of icons between the sanctuary and the nave in an Eastern Orthodox church.“The golden glitter on the crimson background of the iconostasis, the gilt ornaments of the icons, the silver of the chandeliers and candlesticks, the flagstones of the floor, the mats, the banners above the choir, the steps of the ambo, the ancient books black with age, the cassocks and surplices, were all inundated with light.”