Definition

1. Noun:
   • A building dedicated to religious worship or spiritual activities: A temple is a structure specifically designed for religious or spiritual practices, often associated with non-Abrahamic faiths.
   • The flat region on either side of the forehead: In anatomy, the temple is the area of the head between the forehead and the ear.
   • (Judaism) The place of worship for a Jewish congregation: Historically, this refers to the central place of worship in ancient Judaism.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Building):
  • We visited a beautiful Hindu temple during our trip to India.
  • The ancient Greek temple was dedicated to the goddess Athena.
• Noun (Anatomy):
  • He felt a sharp pain in his right temple.
  • She gently massaged her temples to relieve the headache.
• Noun (Judaism):
  • The First Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BCE.

Advanced Usage

• "temple of": Used metaphorically to describe a place dedicated to a particular purpose or activity.
  • The library was his temple of knowledge and quiet reflection.
• "temple block": A percussion instrument, but this is a compound term listed separately below.

Variants and Related Words

• Templar (noun): A member of a medieval religious military order.
• Templet (noun): A variant spelling of "template," a pattern or model.
• Temple block (noun): A hollow wooden percussion instrument.

Synonyms

• Shrine: A holy place associated with a sacred person or relic.
• Sanctuary: A sacred or holy place; a place of refuge.
• Forehead (for the anatomical sense): The part of the face above the eyes.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(Note: "Temple" is primarily a noun and does not commonly form phrasal verbs.)

Related Idioms

• A temple of doom: A humorous or dramatic reference to a place of great danger or failure (from popular culture).
  • That old, failing factory became a temple of doom for the local economy.

Noun

1. (Judaism) the place of worship for a Jewish congregation
2. an edifice devoted to special or exalted purposes
3. the flat area on either side of the forehead
   • the veins in his temple throbbed
4. place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity