chapel

[ chap-uh l ]

/ ˈtʃæp əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR chapel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a private or subordinate place of prayer or worship; oratory.

a separately dedicated part of a church, or a small independent churchlike edifice, devoted to special services.

a room or building for worship in an institution, palace, etc.

(in Great Britain) a place of worship for members of various dissenting Protestant churches, as Baptists or Methodists.

a separate place of public worship dependent on the church of a parish.

a religious service in a chapel: Don't be late for chapel!

a funeral home or the room in which funeral services are held.

a choir or orchestra of a chapel, court, etc.

a print shop or printing house.

an association of employees in a print shop for dealing with their interests, problems, etc.

verb (used with object), chap·eled, chap·el·ing or (especially British) chap·elled, chap·el·ling.

Nautical. to maneuver (a sailing vessel taken aback) by the helm alone until the wind can be recovered on the original tack.

adjective

(in England) belonging to any of various dissenting Protestant sects.

Nearby words

chapati, chapbook, chape, chapeau, chapeau bras, chapel, chapel de fer, chapel hill, chapel of ease, chapelry, chaperon

Origin of chapel

1175–1225; Middle English chapele < Old French < Late Latin cappella hooded cloak, equivalent to capp(a) (see cap¹) + -ella diminutive suffix; first applied to the sanctuary where the cloak of St. Martin (4th-century bishop of Tours) was kept as a relic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for chapel

And the private “chapel” reportedly gives its newlyweds a conservative Christian CD with hetero-reinforcing marriage sermons.
Refusing to Marry Same-Sex Couples Isn’t Religious Freedom, It’s Just Discrimination|Sally Kohn|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The next evening, Romero was saying mass in the chapel at the hospice where he lived in a tiny room near the infirm and the dying.
Why Pope Francis Wants to Declare Murdered Archbishop Romero a Saint|Christopher Dickey|August 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Molly Worthen is an assistant professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Did the Southern Baptist ‘Conservative Resurgence’ Fail?|Molly Worthen|June 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In a small room off the chapel, they left offerings of gratitude for filled promises of recovery.
The Sacrificial Limbs of New Orleans|Nina Strochlic|March 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Soon, believers seeking cures began flocking to the chapel and praying to its guardian angel, St. Roch.
The Sacrificial Limbs of New Orleans|Nina Strochlic|March 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The second arch covers the chapel of the Portuguese knights.
The Overland Guide-book|James Barber
Francis went away, to build his chapel and sing in the Provençal speech hymns in honor of God and of love for his greatness.
Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 15|Various
Meanwhile in the chapel the ineffably blasphemous rites proceeded.
The Historical Nights' Entertainment|Rafael Sabatini
The painting was of the chapel and the company assembled for the marriage.
The Spell of Belgium|Isabel Anderson
But later, when the chapel belonged to the Hautecoeurs, they replaced the original work by their family coat of arms.
The Dream|Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for chapel

chapel

/ (ˈtʃæpəl) /

noun

a place of Christian worship in a larger building, esp a place set apart, with a separate altar, in a church or cathedral

a similar place of worship in or attached to a large house or institution, such as a college, hospital or prison

a church subordinate to a parish church

(in Britain)

a Nonconformist place of worship
Nonconformist religious practices or doctrine
(as adjective)he is chapel, but his wife is church Compare church (def. 8)

(in Scotland) a Roman Catholic church

the members of a trade union in a particular newspaper office, printing house, etc

a printing office

Word Origin for chapel

C13: from Old French chapele, from Late Latin cappella, diminutive of cappa cloak (see cap); originally denoting the sanctuary where the cloak of St Martin of Tours was kept as a relic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

chapel

noun

verb (used with object), chap·eled, chap·el·ing or (especially British) chap·elled, chap·el·ling.

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of chapel

Examples from the Web for chapel

British Dictionary definitions for chapel

chapel

noun

Word Origin for chapel