temple

1 of 2

noun (1)

tem·​ple ˈtem-pəl 

1

: a building for religious practice: such as

a

often Temple : either of two successive national sanctuaries in ancient Jerusalem

b

: a building for sacred ordinances of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

c

: the house of worship of Reform and some Conservative Jewish congregations

2

: a local lodge of any of various fraternal orders

also : the building housing it

3

: a place devoted to a special purpose

a temple of cuisine

templed

ˈtem-pəld 

adjective

temple

2 of 2

noun (2)

1

: the flattened space on each side of the forehead of some mammals including humans

2

: one of the side supports of a pair of glasses jointed to the bows and passing on each side of the head

Synonyms of temple

Noun (1)

• church
• cathedral
• chapel
• tabernacle

Examples of temple in a Sentence

Noun (1)

the largest temple in the Gothic style in the country

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Gaudí, the famed Catalan architect who is on the path to possible sainthood, spent four decades designing and building the temple as the summary of the Christian faith carved in stone. —Joseph Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026

The temple is an architectural and geometrical masterpiece inside and out, a celebration in form and symbol of Christianity and God’s creation through stone and light, based on the architectural tradition of Byzantine and Gothic churches. —ABC News, 10 June 2026

Awaiting beyond a temple pylon recreated in the Parisian hôtel particulier were a series of columns, each bisected by a large sculpted niche with treasures galore within. —Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 9 June 2026

Travelers now want something a guidebook can’t deliver — a meal at the corner spot the bus tours skip, a story about the temple that only the neighborhood knows, an afternoon shaped by someone who actually lives there. —Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 8 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, in part going back to Old English tempel, templ, in part borrowed from Anglo-French temple, both borrowed from Latin templum "space of sky or land delimited orally by an augur, piece of ground used for taking auspices, sacred precinct, building consecrated to a deity," of uncertain origin

Note: Latin templum has been traditionally derived from the Indo-European verbal base tem- "cut" (see tome), on the assumption that the original templum was a space "cut out" by the augur; the suffix would presumably be -lo-, with the -p- secondary. Greek témenos "sacred precinct" has been compared. More recently templum as been associated with a putative *temp- "stretch, extend," assuming a further sense "measure" (see tempo); the templum would then be a space "measured" by an augur.

Noun (2)

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Vulgar Latin *tempula, altered (with conformation to the suffix -ula) from Latin tempora, plural (taken as feminine singular) of tempus "side of the forehead, temple," of uncertain origin

Note: On the assumption that Latin tempor-, tempus "time" meant originally "stretch, extent" (see tempo) tempus "temple" has been taken as a semantic bifurcation of the same word, the temple of the head being the place where the skin is stretched tightly against the skull. Compare Old Norse þunn-vangi, Old High German dunnwangi "temple," literally, "thin-cheek."

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing temple

• go to temple

Rhymes for temple

• semple

Kids Definition

temple

1 of 2 noun

tem·​ple ˈtem-pəl 

: a building for worship

temple

2 of 2 noun

: the flattened space on each side of the forehead of some mammals including human beings

Medical Definition

temple

noun

tem·​ple ˈtem-pəl 

1

: the flattened space on each side of the forehead of some mammals (as humans)

2

: one of the side supports of a pair of glasses jointed to the bows and passing on each side of the head