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Chapel is ultimately derived from the Late Latin word cappa, meaning "cloak." How did we get from a garment to a building? The answer to this question has to do with a shrine created to hold the sacred cloak of St. Martin of Tours. In Medieval Latin, this shrine was called cappella (from a diminutive of cappa, meaning "short cloak or cape") in reference to the relic it contained. Later, the meaning of cappella broadened to include any building that housed a sacred relic, and eventually to a place of worship. Anglo-French picked up the term as chapele, which in turn passed into English as chapel in the 13th century. In case you are wondering, the term a cappella, meaning "without instrumental accompaniment," entered English from Italian, where it literally means "in chapel style."
Examples of chapel in a Sentence
Dana Afana, Detroit Free Press, 12 Aug. 2024
This remarkable estate consists of the main villa and numerous additional structures, including a caretaker's house, buildings for agricultural use, the private chapel, the swimming pool and a tennis court.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 13 July 2024
But unlike Michelangelo, who was known for his muscular figures, Butcher peopled his chapel with his signature sprites.
—Penelope Green, Baltimore Sun, 1 July 2024
And on Saturday, June 29, Culpo walked down the chapel aisle in Watch Hill, Rhode Island to marry San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey in a long-sleeve crepe crew neck ball gown with a voluminous skirt and button-lined back.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 29 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for chapel 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chapel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Chapel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chapel. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.
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chapel
noun
Middle English chapel "chapel," from early French chapele (same meaning), from Latin cappella "chapel," literally, "little cloak," from cappa "cloak, head covering"; so called from the structure built to house a revered cloak of Saint Martin of Tours — related to cape entry 2, chaperone
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