Webster's 1828 Dictionary
PARVIS
n.A church or church porch. [Not used. ]
Webster's 1913 Dictionary
PARVIS; PARVISE
Par "vis, Par "vise, n. Etym: [F. parvis, fr. LL. paravisus, fr. L.paradisus. See Paradise. ]
Defn: a court of entrance to, or an inclosed space before, a church; hence, a church porch; -- sometimes formerly used as place of meeting, as for lawyers. Chaucer.
New American Oxford Dictionary
parvis
par vis |ˈpärvis ˈpɑrvəs | ▶noun an enclosed area in front of a cathedral or church, typically one that is surrounded with colonnades or porticoes. ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French, based on late Latin paradisus ‘paradise, ’ in the Middle Ages denoting a court in front of St. Peter's, Rome.
Oxford Dictionary
parvis
parvis |ˈpɑːvɪs |(also parvise ) ▶noun an enclosed area in front of a cathedral or church, typically surrounded with colonnades or porticoes. ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French, based on late Latin paradisus ‘paradise ’, in the Middle Ages denoting a court in front of St Peter's, Rome.
French Dictionary
parvis
parvis n. m. nom masculin Place située devant l ’entrée d ’une église, d ’un grand bâtiment. : Le parvis de Notre-Dame. Prononciation Le s ne se prononce pas, [parvi ]; le nom rime avec vie Note Orthographique parvi s.
The Wordsmith Dictionary