Etymologically
Log in

chapel

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 06:19. This address is a permanent link to this version.
← Previous version Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈt͡ʃæp.əl/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English chapele, borrowed from Old French chapele (modern French chapelle),[2][3][4] from Medieval Latin cappella, a chapel, sanctuary for relics, canopy, literally a little cape, a diminutive of Late Latin cappa, cape (see cape, cap).[2][3][5] By tradition the first chapel was the sanctuary where the Frankish kings kept the cloak of St Martin of Tours, which he had cut in half to share with a beggar;[3][6][2] the other theory is that capella meant a canopy over the altar.[3][2] The word spread to most European languages, as German Kapelle and Italian cappella.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A place of worship subordinate to a church, especially a part of a large church with its own altar: before 1225 in the OED, the early 13th century in Etymonline, probably about 1200 in Barnhart.[7][3][2]

Semantic evolution

Barnhart notes that chapel was a meaning of cappella from at least 796.[2] A room or building for private worship in a palace or great house is from 1297,[7] and an oratory in a mausoleum from about 1330.[7] A parochial chapel is from 1491,[7] and a chapel of ease for parishioners far from the church from 1538.[7] From the 17th century it was used of places of worship other than those of the established church, especially Nonconformist ones in Britain.[3][7][4] A printing office, or the association of journeyman printers, is also a chapel from the 17th century.[4]

Timeline

  • before 1225 – a subordinate place of worship.[7]
  • 1297 – a private chapel.[7]
  • 1538 – chapel of ease.[7]
  • 1662 – a Nonconformist chapel.[7]
  • 17th century – a printers' association.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A place of worship smaller than and subordinate to a church, or a room set apart in a church with its own altar.
  2. A place of worship in an institution such as a college, hospital or prison.
  3. (Britain) A Nonconformist place of worship.
  4. A service held in a chapel.
  5. A union branch in a printing works or newspaper office.

Word family

  • antechapel
  • chapel de fer
  • chapel of ease
  • Lady chapel

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press