tabernacle
noun
[ ˈtabəˌnak(ə)l ]
• (in biblical use) a fixed or movable dwelling, typically of light construction.
• a meeting place for worship used by Nonconformists or Mormons.
• an ornamented receptacle or cabinet in which a pyx containing the reserved sacrament may be placed in Catholic churches, usually on or above an altar.
• a partly open socket or double post on a sailing boat's deck into which a mast is fixed, with a pivot near the top so that the mast can be lowered to pass under bridges.
Origin:
Middle English: via French from Latin tabernaculum ‘tent’, diminutive of taberna ‘hut, tavern’.
