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tabernacle

Etymology and origin of the English word tabernacle

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtæbənækl̩/ (UK); /ˈtæbɚnækl̩/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English tabernacle, borrowed from Old French tabernacle,[2][3][4][5] from Late Latin tabernāculum (“tent”),[2][3][4][5][6] a diminutive of Latin taberna (“hut, booth”).[2][3][4][5][6] It is related to tavern.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The portable sanctuary carried by the Israelites in the wilderness (c. 1250).[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The word passed by the late 14th century to the Temple in Jerusalem, which continued the functions of the tabernacle,[4][7] and in biblical language to any dwelling place, including the human body as the temporary home of the soul.[4][7] By the late 15th century it named a receptacle for the Eucharist.[4] The sense of a house of worship, often a temporary one or one distinct from a church, dates from the 1690s,[4][3] especially of Nonconformist chapels (1768).[4] The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles commemorates the Israelites' life in tents.[7][4]

Timeline

  • c. 1250 – the Israelites' portable sanctuary.[7][3][4]
  • 1382 – a temporary dwelling, and Feast of Tabernacles.[7]
  • 1388 – the Temple in Jerusalem.[7]
  • late 15th century – a receptacle for the Eucharist.[4]
  • 1690s – a house of worship.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (often capitalized) The portable sanctuary in which the Israelites carried the Ark of the Covenant through the wilderness; also, the Jewish Temple.
  2. An ornamental box on a church altar containing the consecrated host of the Eucharist.
  3. A place of worship, especially a large building or tent for evangelistic meetings.
  4. A canopied niche for a statue or relic.
  5. (archaic) A temporary dwelling; a tent or hut.

Verb

  1. To dwell for a time; to take up temporary residence.

Word family

  • tabernacular
  • tavern
  • sanctuary
  • temple

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Tabernacle.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/tabernacle. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·