cat ‧ a ‧ falque /ˈkætəfælk/ BrE AmE noun [countable] formal
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Italian ; Origin: catafalco , from Vulgar Latin catafalicum 'stage, platform, scaffold' , from Greek kata- ( ⇨ ↑ cataclysm ) + Latin fala 'movable wooden structure for attacking towns' ]
a decorated raised structure on which the dead body of an important person is placed before their funeral