- pavilion
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/peuh vil"yeuhn/, n.1. a light, usually open building used for shelter, concerts, exhibits, etc., as in a park or fair.2. any of a number of separate or attached buildings forming a hospital or the like.3. Archit. a projecting element of a façade, used esp. at the center or at each end and usually treated so as to suggest a tower.4. a tent, esp. a large and elaborate one.5. a small, ornamental building in a garden.v.t.7. to shelter in or as if in a pavilion.8. to furnish with pavilions.[1250-1300; ME pavilon < OF paveillon < L papilion- (s. of papilio) butterfly]
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light temporary or semipermanent structure used in gardens and pleasure grounds. Although there are many variations, the basic type is a large, light, airy garden room with a high-peaked roof resembling a canopy. It was originally erected, like the modern canvas marquee, for special occasions such as fetes, garden banquets, and balls, but it became more permanent, and by the late 17th century the word was used for any garden building designed for use on special occasions.Although many ornamental garden pavilions survive in old gardens, including those throughout East Asia, the modern use of the term—especially in the West—is generally limited to buildings on sports grounds with accommodations for changing clothes and storing equipment and to often-temporary buildings for world's fairs. Pavilion has also been used in reference to a tent, a summer residence, a dance hall, a bandstand, and an annex or structure connected to a larger building. It may also describe a projecting subdivision of a monumental building, notably the central or end bays of a Classical facade.* * *
Universalium. 2010.