Hypertext Webster Gateway: "catafalque"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Catafalque \Cat"a*falque`\, n. [F., fr. It. catafalco, scaffold,
funeral canopy; of uncertain origin; cf. Sp. catafalso,
cadahalso, cadalso, Pr. casafalc, OF. chafaut. Cf.
{Scaffold}.]
A temporary structure sometimes used in the funeral
solemnities of eminent persons, for the public exhibition of
the remains, or their conveyance to the place of burial.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
catafalque
n : a decorated bier on which a coffin rests in state during a
funeral
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