churchdoor

See also: church-door and church door

English

Noun

churchdoor (plural churchdoors)

1. Alternative form of church door
   • 1876, “Notes of the Survival of Pagan Customs in Christian Bural”, in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, volume 11, page 365:

     Without this previous knowledge we should be utterly unable to account for the presence of Orpheus charming the beasts, as a Christian allegory in the catacombs; of "Sigurd Fafni's bane" and the dragon on churchdoors in Norway; or of King Tidrik and the drake on churchdoors in Iceland; […]

   • 1878 February, in the Churchman's Shilling Magazine, volume 22, part 132:

     She went in at the open door, always kept open, as churchdoors should be, […]

   • 1879, Courtney Stanhope Kenny, The history of the law of England as to the effects of marriage on property, page 48:

     […] in Bracton's time, as in Glanvil's time, the churchdoor covenant might always be made to include the husband's future acquisitions as well as his present possessions. […] For wherever the husband had named at the churchdoor a definite piece of land as her dower, her claim became indefeasible; […]

   • 1981, Suzette Haden Elgin, Twelve Fair Kingdoms (republished in The Ozark Trilogy), page 4:

     . . . when the man came through the churchdoor on a scruffy Mule, […]