temple

The temple of Zeus was very large.

As of October 1968 Lukang, which had a resident population of between 27,000 and 28,000 people, had 39 temples. It is my impression that Lukang has more temples than do most Taiwanese communities of equivalent size. By temple I mean a structure that houses an image, altar, and incense pot, and is freely accessible to the general public. In speaking of the 39 temples of Lukang, I am omitting the numerous small shrines to the unknown dead (Yu Ying Kung), buildings dedicated to ancestors rather than deities (two), Christian churches (four), incense-burner associations that keep their incense pot or image in private homes, and private shrines such as the domestic altars of tang-ki (spirit mediums) or the shrine of the now defunct Ch'üan-chou guild, found in the back room of a drugstore endowed with the guild property.[...]Lukang, seen in comparative perspective, has a lot of temples.

1974, Donald R. DeGlopper, “Religion and Ritual in Lukang”, in Arthur P. Wolf, editor, Religion and Ritual in Chinese Society (Studies in Chinese Society), Stanford: Stanford University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 46:

A house of worship dedicated to a polytheistic faith.

How often do you go to temple?

(Judaism) Synonym of synagogue, especially a non-Orthodox synagogue.

(Mormonism) As opposed to an LDS meetinghouse, a church closed to non-Mormons and necessary for particular rituals.

A meeting house of the Oddfellows fraternity; its members.

(figurative) Any place regarded as holding a religious presence.

a temple of commerce; a temple of drinking and dining

(figurative) Any place seen as an important centre for some activity.

My body is my temple.

For nature crescent does not grow alone
In thews and bulks, but as this temple waxes,
The inward service of the mind and soul
Grows wide withal.

c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], lines 11–14:

(figurative) Anything regarded as important or minutely cared for.

Again Abdullah listened intently, his eyes closed, his ten fingers forming a temple of his hands in front of him.

2010, James LePore, A World I Never Made, page 251:

(figurative) A gesture wherein the forefingers are outstretched and touch pad to pad while the other fingers are clasped together.

tempel

place of worship — see also place of worship

From Middle English temple, from Old English templ, tempel, borrowed from Latin templum (“shrine, temple, area for auspices”). Compare Old High German tempal (“temple”), also a borrowing from the Latin.


temple

though the Heathen (in many places) Templed and adored this drunken God

1623, Owen Feltham, Resolves: Divine, Moral, Political:

(transitive) To build a temple for; to appropriate a temple to; to temple a god

en-verb

temple (third-person singular simple present temples, present participle templing, simple past and past participle templed)

temples (present singular third-person)
templing (participle present)
templed (participle past)
templed (past)


temple

(anatomy) The slightly flatter region, on either side of the head of a vertebrate, including a human, behind the eye and forehead, above the zygomatic arch, and forward of the ear.

(ophthalmology) Either of the sidepieces on a set of spectacles, extending backwards from the hinge toward the ears and, usually, turning down around them.

From Middle English temple, from Old French temple, from Vulgar Latin *temp(u)la, from Latin tempora (“the temples”), plural of tempus (“temple, head, face”). See temporal bone.


temple

(weaving) A contrivance used in a loom for keeping the web stretched transversely.

Borrowed from Latin templum (“a small timber, a purlin”); compare templet and template.


temple

Le Temple de la renommée du hockey.

→ Romanian: templu

Inherited from Old French temple, borrowed from Latin templum.


temple

fro-noun

temple oblique singular, m (oblique plural temples, nominative singular temples, nominative plural temple)

temple oblique singular or (canonical masculine)
temples (oblique plural)
temples (nominative singular)
temple (nominative plural)

French: tempe

→ Middle English: temple

English: temple

From Vulgar Latin *temp(u)la, from Latin tempora, plural of tempus.


temple

temple (building where religious services take place)

French: temple
→ Romanian: templu

→ Old Spanish: temple


temple

embiol ael aſenachaerib toda la plata q̃ pudo trobar en la del criador. e el teſoro de los reẏſ. eſtoz cranto ezechias las puertas del temple e todo quanto pudo aù embiolo al reẏ de ſiria esto peſo al criador

c. 1200, Almerich, Fazienda de Ultramar, f. 53v:

He sent Sennacherib all the silver he could find in the [house] of the Creator and the treasury of the kings. Then Hezekiah broke the doors of the temple and all that there was he sent to the king of Assyria. This weighed upon the Creator.

From Old Occitan temple or Old French temple. Compare the inherited tiemplo and the learned form templo, all ultimately from Latin templum.


temple

Halló a Doña Paca de mal temple, porque se había parecido en la casa, muy de mañana, un dependiente de la tienda, y habíala insultado[…]

1897, Benito Pérez Galdós, Misericordia:

[She] found Doña Paca in a bad mood, because very early in the morning a shopkeeper showed up at the house, and had insulted her […]

(bullfighting) a move of the cape before a charge


temple

first/third-person singular present subjunctive

inflection of templar:
third-person singular imperative