tabernacle
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Acronyms, Wikipedia.
tabernacle
1. Old Testament
a. the portable sanctuary in the form of a tent in which the ancient Israelites carried the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25--27)
b. the Jewish Temple regarded as the shrine of the divine presence
2. Judaism an English word for sukkah
3. a meeting place for worship used by Mormons or Nonconformists
4. a small ornamented cupboard or box used for the reserved sacrament of the Eucharist
5. the human body regarded as the temporary dwelling of the soul
6. Chiefly RC Church a canopied niche or recess forming the shrine of a statue
7. Nautical a strong framework for holding the foot of a mast stepped on deck, allowing it to be swung down horizontally to pass under low bridges, etc.
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Tabernacle
A freestanding ornamental canopy above an altar, tomb, or ornamental niche.
Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture Copyright © 2012, 2002, 1998 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
tabernacle
tabernacle, 1
1. A decorative niche often topped with a canopy and housing a statue.
2. A church for a large Protestant congregation.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.