noun · neutersecond declension
templum
templum n (genitive templī)
Classical[ˈtɛm.pɫũː]Ecclesiastical[ˈtɛm.plum]
№ 485 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- neuteran open space for augural observation; open, clear, broad space
- neutera space dedicated to a deity; place of divine worship; sanctuary, shrine, temple
templa deō fīunt
Temples to the god are built Shrines to the god are made [there]8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 2.511
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
domus deī cum columnīs altīs; intrā simulācrum stat.templum -ī n — in Mille Verba, Deī et Sacra
temple
templum -ī — in Viri Romae Facillimi, ch. 16, 18, 25
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Templum · Fanum · Delubrum · Ædes · Sacellum
1. Templum, fanum, and delubrum, denote properly the temple, together with the consecrated environs, like ἱερόν; whereas ædes, the building only, like ναός; lastly, sacellum, a consecrated place without the building, with merely an altar. 2. In a narrower sense, templum denotes a great temple of one of the principal gods; whereas fanum and delubrum, a smaller temple of an inferior god, or of a hero, etc.
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | templum | templa |
| genitive | templī | templōrum |
| dative | templō | templīs |
| accusative | templum | templa |
| ablative | templō | templīs |
| vocative | templum | templa |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- templa deorum adire
- to make a pilgrimage to the shrines of the gods.
templum, i, n. prob. for temulum; root τεμ- of τέμνω; cf. τέμενος, a sacred enclosure; hence,
I. Lit., a space marked out; hence, in partic., in augury, an open place for observation, marked out by the augur with his staff:
templum dicitur locus manu auguris designatus in aëre, post quem factum ilico captantur auguria, Serv. Verg. A. 1, 92: dictum templum locus augurii aut auspicii causā quibusdam conceptis verbis finitus. Concipitur verbis non isdem usquequaquae. In Arce sic: templa tescaque me ita sunto quoad ego caste lingua nuncupavero. Olla veter arbor, quirquir est, quam me sentio dixisse, templum tescumque finito in sinistrum, etc. ... In hoc templo faciundo arbores constitui fines apparet, Varr. L. L. 7, § 6 sq. Müll.: Palatium Romulus, Remus Aventinum ad inaugurandum templa capiunt, Liv. 1, 6, 4.—B. Transf., with the idea of openness, extent, or that of sanctity predominating.
1. An open, clear, broad space, a circuit (so rare and mostly poet.): unus erit, quem tu tolles in caerula caeli Templa, i. e. the space or circuit of the heavens, Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 6 Müll. (Ann. v. 67); cf.:
nec mare nec tellus neque caeli lucida templa, etc., Lucr. 1, 1014; so, caeli, Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 42; Lucr. 1, 1064; 1, 1105; 2, 1039; 6, 286; 6, 644; 6, 1228; cf. caelestia, id. 6, 388; 6, 670: magna caelitum, Enn. ap. Varr. 7, § 6 Müll. (Trag. v. 227 Vahl.): magnum Jovis altitonantis, id. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 7 Müll. (Ann. v. 531 Vahl.): mundi magnum et vorsatile templum, the extent or circuit of the world, Lucr. 5, 1436; so, mundi, id. 5, 1205; 6, 43; cf.: deus, cujus hoc templum est omne quod conspicis, Cic. Rep. 6, 15, 15; Somn. Scip. 3, 6: globus, quem in hoc templo medium vides, quae terra dicitur, Cic. Rep. 6, 15, 15.—Of the infernal regions: Acherusia templa alta Orci, salvete, infera, spaces, Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 6 Müll. (Trag. v. 107 Vahl.); id. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 21, 48.—Of the plain of the sea: loca Neptunia templaque turbulenta, Plaut. Mil. 2, 5, 3; cf. id. Rud. 4, 2, 4.—Of the hollow space or chamber of the mouth: umida linguaï circum sidentia templa, Lucr. 4, 624.—2. A consecrated or sacred place, a sanctuary (syn.: aedes, fanum).
a. In gen.:
(sacerdotes) urbem et agros et templa liberata et effata habento, Cic. Leg. 2, 8, 21; cf.: hinc effari templa dicuntur ab auguribus, Varr. L. L. 6, § 53 Müll.—Of the Rostra: in Rostris, in illo inquam inaugurato templo ac loco, Cic. Vatin. 10, 24; cf.: rostraque id templum appellatum, Liv. 8, 14, 12; Cic. Sest. 29, 62; Liv. 2, 56, 10; 3, 17, 1; 8, 35, 8 Drak.—Of the Curia: templum ordini ab se aucto Curiam fecit, Liv. 1, 30, 2; 26, 31, 11; 26, 33, 4.—Of a tribunal, Liv. 23, 10 Drak.; Flor. 2, 12, 11. —Of an asylum, Liv. 2, 1, 4.—(b). Trop., a sanctuary, shrine:
pectus templaque mentis, Lucr. 5, 103; cf.: (curia) templum sanctitatis, amplitudinis, mentis, consilii publici, Cic. Mil. 33, 90.—b. In partic., a place dedicated to some particular deity, a fane, temple, shrine:
Herculis, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 43, § 94: Jovis, id. Fam. 10, 12, 4: Junonis Sospitae, id. Div. 1, 2, 4; cf. id. ib. 1, 44, 99; Verg. A. 1, 446: Virtutis, Cic. Rep. 1, 14, 21: Vestae, Hor. C. 1, 2, 16: Minervae, Verg. A. 6, 840: antiqua deorum, Hor. S. 2, 2, 104: donec templa refeceris, id. C. 3, 6, 2: testudo amica templis, id. ib. 3, 11, 6: templorum positor, templorum sancte repostor, Ov. F. 2, 63.—Of the sepulchral monument of Sychaeus, to whom divine honors were paid, Verg. A. 4, 457; cf. Sil. 1, 84.—II. A small timber; in architecture, a purlin lying horizontally upon the rafters, Vitr. 4, 2 and 7; cf.:
templum significat et tignum, quod in aedificio transversum ponitur, Fest. p. 367 Müll.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
templum ī, n
1 TEM-.—In augury, an open place for observation, place marked off by the augur's staff : Palatium Romulus, Remus Aventinum ad inaugurandum templa capiunt, L.— An open space, circuit : templa caeli summa, T.: deus, cuius hoc templum est omne quod conspicis.— A consecrated place, sacred enclosure, sanctuary : (sacerdotes) urbem et agros templa liberata et effata habento: occupant tribuni templum, i. e. the rostra , L.: sub tutelā inviolati templi, i. e. an asylum , L.— A place dedicated to a deity, fane, temple, shrine : Herculis: Iunonis Sospitae: Minervae, V.: donec templa refeceris, H.: Templorum positor, O.: Coniugis antiqui, i. e. sepulchre , V.
Origins
Term of uncertain origin, with no parallels in other Italic languages. # Possibly a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *temp- (“to stretch, pull”), whence Latvian tempt (“to pull, stretch”), Old Norse þǫmb (“bow”), and further possibly Proto-Slavic *tętivà (“bowstring”), Old Armenian թամբ (tʻamb, “saddle”). Assuming a shift from “to stretch” to “to measure”, meant as the calculation of the aruspices. Compare also extempulō and more distantly tempus, tendō. # Parallel formation to Ancient Greek τέμενος (témenos, “sacred enclosure”), reflecting Proto-Indo-European *témh₁-lom, from *temh₁- (“to cut”). The -p- would hence be epenthetic as in exemplum. Further related to temnō, tondeō.
Descendants
- Catalantemple
- Italiantempio
- Italiantemplo
- Occitantemple
- Frenchtemplefrom Old French temple
- Romaniantemplufrom Old French temple
- Portuguesetemplofrom Old Galician-Portuguese templo
- Spanishtemplofrom Old Spanish templo
- Asturiantemplu
- Friuliantempli
In English words that came into English from templum
- templetemplum
- monetarymonētārius
- contemplatecontemplātus
- contemplationcontemplatio
- Templartemplum
- contemplablecontemplabilis
- contemplantcontemplans