templum

Latin

Etymology

Uncertain; the main hypotheses are:

• For *temulum, from Proto-Italic *temalom, from Proto-Indo-European *temh₁- (“to cut”). Thus a (sacred) section, analogous to Ancient Greek τέμενος (témenos), from τέμνω (témnō) See also Latin temnō, tondeō, tempus.
• Or from Proto-Indo-European *templom, from the root *temp- (“to stretch, string”), whence also tempus.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈtem.plum/, [ˈt̪ɛmpɫ̪ʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈtem.plum/, [ˈt̪ɛmplum]

Noun

templum n (genitive templī); second declension

1. an open space for augural observation; open, clear, broad space
2. a space dedicated to a deity; place of divine worship; sanctuary, shrine, temple

   Synonyms: sacellum, delūbrum, fānum, āra

   • 8 CE, Ovid, Fasti 2.511:

     templa deō fīunt

     Temples to the god are built
     Shrines to the god are made [there]

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	templum	templa
Genitive	templī	templōrum
Dative	templō	templīs
Accusative	templum	templa
Ablative	templō	templīs
Vocative	templum	templa

Derived terms

• contemplor
• templāris
• templātim

Descendants

• Asturian: templu
• Catalan: temple
• French: temple
  • → Romanian: templu
• Friulian: templi
• Italian: tempio
• Occitan: temple
• Piedmontese: tempi, templi
• Portuguese: templo
• Romanian: tâmplă
• Spanish: templo
• → Albanian: tempull, tëmbla
• → Hungarian: templom
• → Old Irish: tempul (see there for further descendants)
• → Proto-West Germanic: *templ (see there for further descendants)
• → Greek: τέμπλο (témplo)
• → Welsh: teml

References

• “templum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “templum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• templum in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• templum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to make a pilgrimage to the shrines of the gods: templa deorum adire
    
• “templum”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “templum”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 610-611