Meanings
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1
noun
the portable sanctuary used by the Israelites according to the Hebrew Bible
The biblical account describes the tabernacle as a sacred tent carried through the wilderness.
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2
noun
a building or place used for Christian worship, especially by certain Protestant groups
The congregation gathered in the wooden tabernacle for evening worship.
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3
noun
a small locked receptacle in a church in which the consecrated Eucharist is reserved
A lamp burned beside the tabernacle on the altar.
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4
noun
a temporary dwelling or bodily habitation, especially in literary or religious language
The writer called the body a fragile tabernacle for the spirit.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English tabernacle and Old French tabernacle, from Latin tabernaculum ("tent, booth, or shed"), a diminutive of taberna ("hut"). Religious senses developed from the portable sanctuary described in the Hebrew Bible.