tab·er·na·cle (t?b??r-n?k??l)n.1. often Tabernacle Bible The portable sanctuary in which the Jews housed the Ark of the Covenant during their years in the desert.2. often Tabernacle A case or box on a church altar containing the consecrated host and wine of the Eucharist.3. A place of worship.4. A niche for a statue or relic.5. Nautical A boxlike support in which the heel of a mast is stepped.[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin tabern?culum, from Latin, tent, diminutive of taberna, hut; see tavern.]tab?er·nac?u·lar (-n?k?y?-l?r) adj.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.tabernacle (?tæb??næk?l) n1. (Bible) (often capital) Old Testament a. the portable sanctuary in the form of a tent in which the ancient Israelites carried the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25?27)b. the Jewish Temple regarded as the shrine of the divine presence2. (Judaism) Judaism an English word for sukkah3. (Christian Churches, other) a meeting place for worship used by Mormons or Nonconformists4. (Ecclesiastical Terms) a small ornamented cupboard or box used for the reserved sacrament of the Eucharist5. (Ecclesiastical Terms) the human body regarded as the temporary dwelling of the soul6. (Roman Catholic Church) chiefly RC Church a canopied niche or recess forming the shrine of a statue7. (Nautical Terms) nautical a strong framework for holding the foot of a mast stepped on deck, allowing it to be swung down horizontally to pass under low bridges, etc[C13: from Latin tabern?culum a tent, from taberna a hut; see tavern] ?taber?nacular adjCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014tab?er?nac?le (?tæb ?r?næk ?l) n., v. -led, -ling. n. 1. a place or house of worship, esp. one designed for a large congregation. 2. (often cap.) the portable tentlike structure used as a place of worship by the Israelites during their wandering in the wilderness. Ex. 25?27. 3. an ornamental receptacle for the reserved Eucharist. 4. a canopied niche or recess, as for an image or icon. v.t., v.i. 5. to place or dwell in or as if in a tabernacle. [1200?50;