sacellum

[ suh-kel-uhm, -sel- ]
See synonyms for sacellum on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural sa·cel·la [suh-kel-uh, -sel-uh]. /səˈkɛl ə, -ˈsɛl ə/.
  1. a small chapel, as a monument within a church.

  2. (in ancient Rome) a shrine open to the sky.

Origin of sacellum

1
1800–10; <Latin: shrine, derivative of sacer holy, sacred; for formation see castellum

Words Nearby sacellum

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sacellum in a sentence

  • This is the portal of its temple, through which alone we can gain access to the sacellum where its aporrheta are concealed.

    The Symbolism of Freemasonry | Albert G. Mackey
  • In the early days of Rome many gentes had each their own sacellum for the performance of their religious rites.

    Ancient Society | Lewis Henry Morgan
  • On the south slope of the latter are remains of a small temple or sacellum described by St Jerome.

  • These two appellations we have already found in the preceding quotations to be capellula and sacellum.

  • The gens had its own sacellum or chapel, and its own sacra or religious rites.

    Custom and Myth | Andrew Lang