temple
temple Lexical Profile
temple Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A building devoted to the worship, or regarded as the dwelling place, of a god, gods, or other objects of religious reverence.
"The archeologists uncovered the ruins of an ancient temple built to honor the sun god."
The relatively flat region on either side of the human head, situated between the forehead and the ear.
"She gently rubbed her left temple, hoping to soothe the throbbing headache that had started after lunch."
Word Nuance & Usage
The word 'temple' represents two distinct homographs with entirely separate origins in Latin: one referring to a religious structure and the other to the anatomical side of the head.
• Rhymes for temple
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The architectural sense comes from Latin 'templum' (a consecrated space for augury). The anatomical sense derives from Old French 'temple', originating from Latin 'tempora', the plural of 'tempus' (the side of the head).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.