Main Entry:

¹pa·vil·ion

Pronunciation:

\pə-ˈvil-yən\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English pavilloun, pavillioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin papilion-, papilio butterfly; perhaps akin to Old High German fīfaltra butterfly

Date:

13th century

1 a: a large often sumptuous tent b: something resembling a canopy or tent <tree ferns spread their delicate pavilions — Blanche E. Baughan>2 a: a part of a building projecting from the rest b: one of several detached or semidetached units into which a building is sometimes divided3 a: a usually open sometimes ornamental structure in a garden, park, or place of recreation that is used for entertainment or shelter b: a temporary structure erected at an exposition by an individual exhibitor4: the lower faceted part of a brilliant below the girdle — see brilliant illustration