Temple

Temple

A temple (from the Latin word templum) is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out on the ground by the augur. Templa also became associated with the dwelling places of a god or gods. Despite the specific set of meanings associated with the religion of the ancient Rome, the word has now become quite widely used to describe a house of worship for any number of religions and is even used for time periods prior to the Romans.

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Famous quotes containing the word temple:

    And if blood of Martyrs is to flow on the steps
    We must first build the steps;
    And if the Temple is to be cast down
    We must first build the Temple.
    —T.S. (Thomas Stearns)

    The sound of laughter is like the vaulted dome of a temple of happiness.
    Milan Kundera (b. 1929)

    No culture on earth outside of mid-century suburban America has ever deployed one woman per child without simultaneously assigning her such major productive activities as weaving, farming, gathering, temple maintenance, and tent-building. The reason is that full-time, one-on-one child-raising is not good for women or children.
    Barbara Ehrenreich (b. 1941)