Tabernacle
/ˈtæb.ər.nə.kəl/noun
A tent, hut, or portable dwelling; in Judaism and Christianity, a sacred container or place of worship.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Latin tabernaculum, a diminutive of taberna, and in the Bible it became the name of the portable sanctuary where divine presence was believed to dwell.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tebh-
“to cover, roof over”
Latin
Latin
taberna
“hut, booth, shop, tavern”
Latin
Latin
tabernaculum
“small hut, tent, shelter”
Old French
Old French
tabernacle
“tent, shrine, sacred vessel”
Middle English
English
tabernacle
“portable sanctuary; sacred container”
Modern English
English
tabernacle
“a place of worship or sacred container; also a tent-like dwelling”