synagogue

American  

[sin-uh-gog, -gawg] / ˈsɪn əˌgɒg, -ˌgɔg /

Or synagog

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.

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synagogue British  

/ 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

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synagogue Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

• synagogal adjective
• synagogical adjective

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

There are only about 500 Jewish people in this city of half a million, the synagogue isn’t particularly active and the Jews are well-integrated.

From The Wall Street Journal

Synagogue president, Damon Hoff, told the BBC on Tuesday that he was certain there was surveillance of the synagogue before the ambulances in its car park were attacked.

From BBC

The group first appeared in Telegram chats on March 9, when an explosion occurred near a synagogue in Liège, Belgium.

From The Wall Street Journal

President of the synagogue, Damon Hoff, praised the quick work of the emergency services and said most of the damage was to the exterior of the building.

From BBC

His best-known innovation—his introduction, in 1922, of the modern bat mitzvah, to mark the 12th birthdays of Jewish girls—is now standard practice in all but Orthodox synagogues.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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