Etymology : Middle English, from Old French chapele, from Medieval Latin cappella, from diminutive of Late Latin cappa cloak; from the cloak of Saint Martin of Tours preserved as a sacred relic in a chapel built for that purpose
Pronunciation : 'cha-p&l
Function : noun
Date : 13th century
1. religious service; place of worship which is smaller than a church. chapel\chap"el\ , n. [of. chapele, f. chapelle, fr. ll. capella, orig., a short cloak, hood, or cowl; later, a reliquary, sacred vessel, chapel; dim. of cappa, capa, cloak, cape, cope; also, a covering for the head. the chapel where st. martin's cloak was preserved as a precious relic, itself came to be called capella, whence the name was applied to similar paces of worship, and the guardian of this cloak was called capellanus, or chaplain. see:
cap, and cf. chaplain., chaplet.].
2. a subordinate place of worship; as, (a) a small church, often a private foundation, as for a memorial; (b) a small building attached to a church; (c) a room or recess in a church, containing an altar.note: in catholic churches, and also in cathedrals and abbey churches, chapels are usually annexed in the recesses on the sides of the aisles.
3. a place of worship not connected with a church; as, the chapel of a palace, hospital, or prison.
4. in england, a place of worship used by dissenters from the established church; a meetinghouse.
5. a choir of singers, or an orchestra, attached to the court of a prince or nobleman.
6. (print.) (a) a printing office, said to be so called because printing was first carried on in england in a chapel near westminster abbey. (b) an association of workmen in a printing office.chapel of ease. (a) a chapel or dependent church built for the ease or a accommodation of an increasing parish, or for parishioners who live at a distance from the principal church. (b) a privy. (law)chapel master, a director of music in a chapel; the director of a court or orchestra.
7. A subordinate place of worship a small church, often a private foundation, as for a memorial a small building attached to a church a room or recess in a church, containing an altar.
8. A place of worship not connected with a church; as, the chapel of a palace, hospital, or prison.
9. In England, a place of worship used by dissenters from the Established Church; a meetinghouse.
10. A choir of singers, or an orchestra, attached to the court of a prince or nobleman.
11. A printing office, said to be so called because printing was first carried on in England in a chapel near Westminster Abbey.
12. An association of workmen in a printing office.
13. To deposit or inter in a chapel; to enshrine.
14. To cause so to turn or make a circuit as to recover, without bracing the yards, the same tack on which she had been sailing. a place of worship that has its own altar.
15. 1. A chapel is a part of a church which has its own altar and which is used for private prayer. the chapel of the Virgin Mary.
16. A chapel is a small church attached to a hospital, school, or prison. We married in the chapel of Charing Cross Hospital in London.
17. A chapel is a building used for worship by members of some Christian churches. Chapel refers to the religious services that take place there. a Methodist chapel On Sundays, the family went three times to chapel.