synagogue

or syn·a·gog

[ sin-uh-gog, -gawg ]

noun

1. a Jewish house of worship, often having facilities for religious instruction.
2. an assembly or congregation of Jews for the purpose of religious worship.
3. the Jewish religion; Judaism.

synagogue

/ ˌsɪnəˈɡɒdʒɪkəl; ˈsɪnəˌɡɒɡ; ˈsɪnəˌɡɒɡəl /

noun

1. 1. a building for Jewish religious services and usually also for religious instruction
   2. ( as modifier )

      synagogue services

2. a congregation of Jews who assemble for worship or religious study
3. the religion of Judaism as organized in such congregations

synagogue

1. In Judaism , a house of worship and learning; also, the congregation that meets there.

Derived Forms

• synagogical, adjective

Other Words From

• syn·a·gog·i·cal [sin-, uh, -, goj, -i-k, uh, l], syn·a·gog·al [sin, -, uh, -gog-, uh, l, -gaw-g, uh, l], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of synagogue¹

1125–75; Middle English synagoge < Late Latin synagōga < Greek synagōgḗ assembly, meeting, equivalent to syn- syn- + agōgḗ, noun use of feminine of agōgós (adj.) gathering, derivative of ágein to bring, lead; akin to Latin agere to drive

Word History and Origins

Origin of synagogue¹

C12: from Old French sinagogue, from Late Latin synagōga, from Greek sunagōgē a gathering, from sunagein to bring together, from syn- + agein to lead

Example Sentences

"We're going to do our best to make sure that they can return, as they should, to their local synagogues, doing what is absolutely Australian - that is to be able to worship without fear."

From BBC

“Her commitment to the advancement of art and culture won her admiration all over the world, but at our synagogue, she was admired most of all for her characteristic kindness and gentle wisdom.”

From Los Angeles Times

Growing up, Abrahams attended the same synagogue as the Zuckers, and their families regularly got together for dinner.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump made his remarks on the sixth anniversary of the Tree of Life shooting, when a right-wing extremist, motivated by hatred of immigrants and Jews, attacked and killed worshipers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

From Salon

The Beverly Hills Police Department has partnered with private security and increased patrols around synagogues and houses of worship “as a precautionary measure,” the agency wrote in a social media post.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• chapel
• house of worship
• mosque
• parish
• shrine
• temple