tabernacle

noun tab·er·na·cle \ ˈta-bər-ˌna-kəl \

Updated on: 25 Apr 2018

Definition of tabernacle

1 : a house of worship; specifically : a large building or tent used for evangelistic services

2 : a receptacle for the consecrated elements of the Eucharist; especially : an ornamental locked box used for reserving the Communion hosts

3 a often capitalized : a tent sanctuary used by the Israelites during the Exodus

b archaic : a dwelling place

c archaic : a temporary shelter : tent

—

tabernacular

play \ˌta-bər-ˈna-kyə-lər\ adjective

See tabernacle defined for English-language learners

See tabernacle defined for kids

Examples of tabernacle in a Sentence

worshippers gathering at the Baptist tabernacle on a bright Sunday morning

Recent Examples of tabernacle from the Web

Ramban understands the Mishkan (tabernacle) as a kind of portable Mt. Sinai.

— rabbi avi weiss, Jewish Journal, "Sacrifices celebrate our love of God," 19 Mar. 2018
In homage to basketball, Hoosiers have built tabernacles where the Word is fast-break.

— fred d. cavinder, Indianapolis Star, "Indiana gyms are a testament to the state's devotion to basketball," 21 Mar. 2018
The Ryman was founded as a tabernacle, then repurposed as a concert hall, eventually hosting WSM-AM Nashville's Grand Ole Opry for more than 30 years.

— tom roland, Billboard, "Alive And Kickin': Country's Historic Buildings Still Breathe Life Into Business," 3 Nov. 2017
The grove consists of a former summer hotel now rented out for special events, 47 cottages now usually used as weekend getaways, an open-air tabernacle and a series of paths.

— jacques kelly, baltimoresun.com, "A 150-year-old camp-meeting site provides a summertime sanctuary," 14 July 2017
Frozen Time is a tabernacle too, but one that welcomes the viewer inside.

— josephine livingstone, New Republic, "Hidden Beneath a Hockey Rink, a Silent Film Treasure Trove," 7 June 2017
A group of Methodists built a tabernacle in Wesleyan Grove for open air revivals, and rows of gingerbread cottages sprang up around it.

— ash carter, Town & Country, "How Oak Bluffs Became a Summer Haven for the African-American Elite," 29 June 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tabernacle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tabernacle

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin tabernaculum, from Latin, tent, from taberna hut

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 3a

See Words from the same year

tabernacle Synonyms

Synonyms

church, kirk [chiefly Scottish], temple;

meetinghouse;

mosque, pagoda, shul, synagogue (also synagog);

Other Jewish Religion Terms

Talmud, Zion, challah, dybbuk, kosher, tetragrammaton, yarmulke

tabernacle

verb

Definition of tabernacle

tabernacled; tabernacling play \ˈta-bər-ˌna-k(ə-)liŋ\

intransitive verb

: to take up temporary residence; especially : to inhabit a physical body

First Known Use of tabernacle

1653

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

TABERNACLE Defined for English Language Learners

tabernacle

noun

Definition of tabernacle for English Language Learners

: a place of worship that is used by some Christian groups
: a box in which the holy bread and wine are kept in a Catholic church
the Tabernacle : a small, movable tent that was used as a place of worship by the ancient Israelites