a piece of furniture consisting of a low surface for kneeling upon and a narrow front surmounted by a rest for the elbows or for books, for use when praying
Word origin
C18: from French, from prier to pray + Dieu God
prie-dieu in American English
(ˈpriˌdju)
noun
a narrow, upright frame with a lower ledge for kneeling on at prayer and an upper ledge, as for a book