tabernacle /ˈtabərˌnakəl, ˈtæbərˌnækəl 
/ ▸ noun 1 (in biblical use) a fixed or movable habitation, typically of light construction. ▪ a tent used as a sanctuary for the Ark of the Covenant by the Israelites during the Exodus and until the building of the Temple.
2 a meeting place for worship used by some Protestants or Mormons. 3 an ornamented receptacle or cabinet in which a pyx or ciborium containing the reserved sacrament may be placed in Catholic churches, usually on or above an altar. ▪ archaic a canopied niche or recess in the wall of a church.
4 a partly open socket or double post on a sailboat's deck into which a mast is fixed, with a pivot near the top so that the mast can be lowered. – DERIVATIVES tabernacled – ORIGIN Middle English : via French from Latin tabernaculum ‘tent’, diminutive of taberna ‘hut, tavern’.
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