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Chapel is ultimately derived from the Late Latin word cappa, meaning "cloak." How did we get from a garment to a building? The answer to this question has to do with a shrine created to hold the sacred cloak of St. Martin of Tours. In Medieval Latin, this shrine was called cappella (from a diminutive of cappa, meaning "short cloak or cape") in reference to the relic it contained. Later, the meaning of cappella broadened to include any building that housed a sacred relic, and eventually to a place of worship. Anglo-French picked up the term as chapele, which in turn passed into English as chapel in the 13th century. In case you are wondering, the term a cappella, meaning "without instrumental accompaniment," entered English from Italian, where it literally means "in chapel style."
Examples of chapel in a Sentence
Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023
And these weddings are starting to seem as artificial as a drive-through Las Vegas chapel.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2023
Not only can fans get married at the wedding chapel, but legendary bands frequently renew their vows with reunions and full album playthroughs.
—Josh Chesler, Spin, 20 Sep. 2023
One of the title’s best, absolutely absurd sequences involves Mario chasing Peach—who’s strapped to the back of her captor, a bearded weirdo named Booster—uphill, dodging barrels and minions as she’s rushed off to a chapel to get married against her will.
—WIRED, 15 Nov. 2023
The pair got hitched in a wedding chapel at about 5:30 a.m. on a Saturday in January and the next day arranged for an annulment in the presence of several people, including a lawyer.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2023
Then, around 6:30 p.m., an audience of inmates and corrections officials took their seats in the auditorium, adjacent to the chapel.
—Javier C. Hernández, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2023
That’s how we got married at 3:30 a.m. in a wedding chapel.
—Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 4 Oct. 2023
The chapel, which dates back to 1181, is reportedly the only UK cathedral where the Sovereign has had a special stall in the Quire since the Reformation—Elizabeth herself sat in the stall four times over the years while visiting St Davids, according to Kensington Palace.
—Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 8 Sep. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chapel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English, from Anglo-French chapele, from Medieval Latin cappella, from diminutive of Late Latin cappa cloak; from the cloak of St. Martin of Tours preserved as a sacred relic in a chapel built for that purpose
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing chapel
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Cite this Entry
“Chapel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chapel. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
chapel
noun
Middle English chapel "chapel," from early French chapele (same meaning), from Latin cappella "chapel," literally, "little cloak," from cappa "cloak, head covering"; so called from the structure built to house a revered cloak of Saint Martin of Tours — related to cape entry 2, chaperone
More from Merriam-Webster on chapel
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for chapel
Nglish: Translation of chapel for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chapel
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