I. ˈchapəl noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French chapele, from Medieval Latin cappella chapel, short cloak, diminutive of Late Latin cappa cloak; from the preservation of the cloak of St. Martin of Tours as a sacred relic in an oratory specially built for that purpose — more at cap
1.
a. : a small or subordinate place of worship ; especially : a Christian sanctuary other than a parish or cathedral church
b. : a church subordinate to and dependent on the principal parish church to which it is a supplement of some kind
2. : a private place of worship:
a. : a building or portion of a building or institution (as a palace, hospital, prison, college) set apart for private devotions and often also for private religious services
b. : a room or recess in a church that often contains an altar and is separately dedicated and that is designed especially for meditation and prayer but is sometimes used also for small religious services
3.
a. : a choir of singers belonging to a chapel (as of a prince)
b. : the choir or the orchestra attached to the court of a prince or nobleman
4.
a. : a chapel service or assembly especially at an educational institution and often only semireligious
b. : attendance at chapel services
chapel is required of all students
5.
a. obsolete : a printing office
b. : an association or meeting of the workmen (as the compositors) in a printing office for dealing with matters or questions affecting their interests
6. : a place of worship used by members of a religious denomination or faith other than that of the established church
Anglican churches and nonconformist chapels of England
7.
a. : funeral home
b. : a room or section of rooms in a funeral home where funeral services are conducted
c. : a place in a cemetery for holding funeral services in inclement weather
II. transitive verb
( chapeled or chapelled ; chapeled or chapelled ; chapeling or chapelling -p(ə)liŋ ; chapels )
: to cause (a ship taken aback in a light breeze) to recover the original tack by the use of the helm alone without bracing the yards
III. adjective
chiefly Britain : of or belonging to a Protestant nonconformist church
chapel I was born and … bred — Angela Thirkell