chapel

noun

chap·​el ˈcha-pəl How to pronounce chapel (audio)
1
: a subordinate or private place of worship: such as
a
: a place of worship serving a residence or institution
b
: a small house of worship usually associated with a main church
c
: a room or recess in a church for meditation and prayer or small religious services
2
: a place of worship used by a Christian group other than an established church
a nonconformist chapel
3
: a choir of singers belonging to a chapel
4
: a chapel service or assembly at a school or college
5
: an association of the employees in a printing office
6
b
: a room for funeral services in a funeral home

Did you know?

Chapel is ultimately derived from the Late Latin word cappa, meaning "cloak." How did we get from a garment to a building? The answer to this question has to do with a shrine created to hold the sacred cloak of St. Martin of Tours. In Medieval Latin, this shrine was called cappella (from a diminutive of cappa, meaning "short cloak or cape") in reference to the relic it contained. Later, the meaning of cappella broadened to include any building that housed a sacred relic, and eventually to a place of worship. Anglo-French picked up the term as chapele, which in turn passed into English as chapel in the 13th century. In case you are wondering, the term a cappella, meaning "without instrumental accompaniment," entered English from Italian, where it literally means "in chapel style."

Examples of chapel in a Sentence

a wedding chapel in Las Vegas Church services will be held in the chapel this week.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Per Cleveland Scene, the bar will occupy the former UCC chapel space. Sam Allard, Axios, 25 Oct. 2024 She was initially interred in a vault beneath the cemetery’s chapel, Selzer says, but was buried in the Willowmere section, Lot 10-16 Sub C, Grave 3 in 1953 —the same year her 41-room mansion at 1000 N. Lake Shore Drive was demolished. Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 24 Oct. 2024 Take a page out of the chapel’s book—create a five- or 10-year road map with benchmarks and continual progress evaluation. Aparna Prabhakar, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024 Old Town Solothurn, which doesn’t allow car traffic, has 11 churches and chapels, plus the same amount of towers and fountains. Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 10 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for chapel 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French chapele, from Medieval Latin cappella, from diminutive of Late Latin cappa cloak; from the cloak of St. Martin of Tours preserved as a sacred relic in a chapel built for that purpose

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chapel was in the 13th century

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Dictionary Entries Near chapel

Cite this Entry

“Chapel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chapel. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

chapel

noun
chap·​el ˈchap-əl How to pronounce chapel (audio)
1
: a building or place for prayer or special religious services
2
: a religious service or assembly at a school or college
Etymology

Middle English chapel "chapel," from early French chapele (same meaning), from Latin cappella "chapel," literally, "little cloak," from cappa "cloak, head covering"; so called from the structure built to house a revered cloak of Saint Martin of Tours — related to cape entry 2, chaperone

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