tabernacle

American  

[tab-er-nak-uhl] / ˈtæb ərˌnæk əl /

noun

1. any place or house of worship, especially one designed for a large congregation.

2. (often initial capital letter) the portable sanctuary in use by the Israelites from the time of their wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt to the building of the Temple in Jerusalem by Solomon. Exodus 25–27.

3. Ecclesiastical. an ornamental receptacle for the reserved Eucharist, now generally found on the altar.

4. a canopied niche or recess, as for an image or icon.

5. a temporary dwelling or shelter, as a tent or hut.

6. a dwelling place.

7. the human body as the temporary abode of the soul.

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verb (used with or without object)

tabernacled, tabernacling

1. to place or dwell in, or as if in, a tabernacle.

tabernacle British  

/ ˈtæbəˌnækəl /

noun

1. (often capital) Old Testament

   1. the portable sanctuary in the form of a tent in which the ancient Israelites carried the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25–27)

   2. the Jewish Temple regarded as the shrine of the divine presence

2. Judaism an English word for sukkah

3. a meeting place for worship used by Mormons or Nonconformists

4. a small ornamented cupboard or box used for the reserved sacrament of the Eucharist

5. the human body regarded as the temporary dwelling of the soul

6. RC Church a canopied niche or recess forming the shrine of a statue

7. nautical a strong framework for holding the foot of a mast stepped on deck, allowing it to be swung down horizontally to pass under low bridges, etc

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Other Word Forms

• tabernacular
  adjective
• untabernacled
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of tabernacle

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Late Latin tabernāculum “tent,” equivalent to tabern(a) “hut, stall, inn” + -āculum, probably extracted from hibernāculum “winter quarters”; see origin at tavern, hibernaculum.

Explanation

A tabernacle was originally a Jewish place of worship, like a moveable tent. Synagogues and temples are tabernacles. Tabernacle has now branched out and can refer to a place of worship for Christians, too. The tabernacle has a long history in the Jewish faith. Originally, a tabernacle was a tent said to contain the Ark of the Covenant. The word comes from the Latin tabernaculum for "tent.” Later, it came to mean a place Jews worship, like Christians worship in a church. Like a church, a tabernacle is a holy place where you will find people worshiping. These days, the word tabernacle is used by others, like in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, for example.

Example Sentences

Canaanland is named for the promised land; its Faith Tabernacle can, and often does, hold 50,000 people in a building that resembles an aircraft hangar, its “almost sterile interior” suggesting that “hope is adornment enough.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

The report followed an investigation into an "alleged incident of inappropriate behaviour by one of the senior leaders" at Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle in Belfast.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025

I had to go to my daughter’s concert choir performance and it was held in a beautiful acoustic space, which happens to be the Mormon Tabernacle.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2024

People across North America watch a total solar eclipse, members of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square perform during a conference in Salt Lake City, and a rainbow forms over Niagara Falls in Canada.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 11, 2024

Kitty was the granddaughter of Duke Wilson, who owned the barbershop on 145th across from Grace Tabernacle Church.

From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers