synagogue

or syn·a·gog

[ sin-uh-gog, -gawg ]

/ ˈsɪn əˌgɒg, -ˌgɔg /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR synagogue ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a Jewish house of worship, often having facilities for religious instruction.

an assembly or congregation of Jews for the purpose of religious worship.

the Jewish religion; Judaism.

Nearby words

syn, syn-, syn., synaeresis, synaesthesia, synagogue, synalepha, synalgia, synaloepha, synapse, synapsid

Origin of synagogue

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

Related forms

syn·a·gog·i·cal

[sin-uh-goj-i-kuh l] /ˌsɪn əˈgɒdʒ ɪ kəl/, syn·a·gog·al

[sin-uh-gog-uh l, -gaw-guh l] /ˈsɪn əˌgɒg əl, -ˌgɔ gəl/, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for synagogue

Terrorists killed four rabbis, three of them American, in a synagogue this morning.
Mass Murder in the Holy City|Michael Tomasky|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Freundel is also rabbi of the prominent Kesher Israel synagogue in Washington.
Accusations Pile Up on Top D.C. Rabbi Barry Freundel|Steven I. Weiss|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A phone message for Freundel at his synagogue was not returned, nor was an e-mail to his personal account.
Accusations Pile Up on Top D.C. Rabbi Barry Freundel|Steven I. Weiss|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Following the establishment of the State of Israel, the synagogue was used as a school for displaced Palestinians.
Exclusive Photos: Syria’s Oldest Synagogue, Destroyed by Assad|Josh Rogin|May 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The area where the synagogue once stood has been under bombardment by the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for months.
Exclusive Photos: Syria’s Oldest Synagogue, Destroyed by Assad|Josh Rogin|May 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Rabbi took the key of the synagogue, and they went in there together.
Yiddish Tales|Various
Only once he referred to him, recently, in telling me about the "New" Synagogue.
Simon Eichelkatz; The Patriarch|Ulrich Frank
It was attended by the grandees of the Church and Synagogue of the day.
Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ|Rev. A. Bernstein, B.D.
Damascus contains a Mohammedan mosque, called "the Synagogue of Damascus," a building of unequalled magnificence.
Early Travels in Palestine|Arculf et al.
The pavement is very good, but must, I imagine, be of about the date of the conversion of the synagogue into a church.
Some Account of Gothic Architecture in Spain|George Edmund Street

British Dictionary definitions for synagogue

synagogue

/ (ˈsɪnəˌɡɒɡ) /

noun

a building for Jewish religious services and usually also for religious instruction
(as modifier)synagogue services

a congregation of Jews who assemble for worship or religious study

the religion of Judaism as organized in such congregations

Derived Forms

synagogical (ˌsɪnəˈɡɒdʒɪkəl) or synagogal (ˈsɪnəˌɡɒɡəl), adjective

Word Origin for synagogue

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

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

Culture definitions for synagogue

synagogue

[ (sin-uh-gog) ]

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