tabernacular


tab·er·na·cle

T0001900 (tăb′ər-năk′əl)n.1. often Tabernacle Bible The portable sanctuary in which the Jews housed the Ark of the Covenant during their years in the desert.2. often Tabernacle A case or box on a church altar containing the consecrated host and wine of the Eucharist.3. A place of worship.4. A niche for a statue or relic.5. Nautical A boxlike support in which the heel of a mast is stepped.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin tabernāculum, from Latin, tent, diminutive of taberna, hut; see tavern.]
tab′er·nac′u·lar (-năk′yə-lər) adj.