Online Etymology Dictionary

temple (2): "side of the forehead," c.1310, from O.Fr. temple "side of the forehead" (11c.), from V.L. *tempula (fem. sing.), from L. tempora, pl. of tempus (gen. temporis) "side of the forehead," probably originally "the thin stretch of skin at the side of the forehead." Possibly associated with tempus span "timely space (for a mortal blow with a sword)," or from the notion of "stretched, thinnest part," which is the sense of cognate O.E. ðunwange, lit. "thin cheek."
temple (1): "building for worship," O.E. tempel, from L. templum "piece of ground consecrated for the taking of auspices, building for worship," of uncertain signification. Commonly referred either to PIE base *tem- "to cut," on notion of "place reserved or cut out," or to PIE base *temp- "to stretch," on notion of cleared space in front of an altar. Fig. sense of "any place regarded as occupied by divine presence" was in O.E. Applied to Jewish synagogues from 1598.
Parthenon: name of the temple of Athena on the Acropolis in Athens, from Gk., lit. "temple of the virgin goddess" (Athene), from parthenos "virgin," of unknown origin.
profane (v.): late 14c., from L. profanare "to desecrate," from profanus "unholy, not consecrated," from pro fano "not admitted into the temple (with the initiates)," lit. "out in front of the temple," from pro- "before" + fano, abl. of fanum "temple." The adj. is attested from late 15c.; originally "un-ecclesiastical, secular;" sense of "unholy, polluted" is recorded from c.1500.
template: 1677, templet "horizontal piece under a girder or beam," probably from Fr. templet "weaver's stretcher," dim. of temple, which meant the same thing, from L. templum "plank, rafter," also "building for worship" (see temple (1)). The meaning "pattern or gauge for shaping a piece of work" is first recorded 1819 in this form, earlier temple (1688); the form was altered 1844, probably influenced by plate, but the pronunciation did not begin to shift until much more recently.
fanatic: 1520s, "insane person," from L. fanaticus "mad, enthusiastic, inspired by a god," originally, "pertaining to a temple," from fanum "temple," related to festus "festive" (see feast). Current sense of "extremely zealous," especially in religion, is first attested 1640s. The noun is from mid-17c., originally in religious sense, of Nonconformists.
"A fanatic is someone who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." [Winston Churchill]
teocalli: 1578, from Amer.Sp., from Nahuatl (Aztec), lit. "temple," from teotl "god" + calli "house."
Lima: Peruvian capital, founded 1535 by Pizarro, from Sp. corruption of Quechua (Inca) Rimak, name of a god and his temple, from rima "to speak" (probably a reference to priests who spoke from concealed places in statues of the gods).
Janus: ancient It. deity, guardian god of portals, patron of beginnings and endings, 1508, from L., lit. "gate, arched passageway," perhaps from PIE base *ei- "to go" (cf. Skt. yanah "path," O.C.S. jado "to travel"). He is shown as having two faces, one in front the other in back. His temple in Rome was closed only in times of peace.
pylon: 1823, "gateway to an Egyptian temple," from Gk. pylon "gateway," from pyle "gate," of unknown origin. Meaning "tower for guiding aviators" (1909) led to that of "steel tower for high-tension wires" (1923).
Templar: late 13c., from Anglo-Fr. templer, O.Fr. templier (c.1200), from M.L. templaris (mid-12c.), member of the medieval religious/military order known as Knights Templars (c.1118-1312), so called because they had headquarters in a building near Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem.
Capitol: "building where U.S. Congress meets," 1793 (in writings of Thomas Jefferson), from L. Capitolium, temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline Hill in ancient Rome. Used earlier of Virginia state houses (1699). Its use in American public architecture deliberately evokes Roman republican imagery. With reference to the Roman citadel, it is recorded from late 14c. Relationship to capital is likely but not certain.
caryatid: 1563, "carved female figure used as a column," from M.Fr. cariatide, from L. caryatides, from Gk. Karyatides "priestess of Artemis at Caryae" (Gk. Karyai), a town in Laconia where dance festivals were held in Artemis' temple.
penates: Roman household gods, 1513, from L. penates "gods of the inside of the house," related to penatus "sanctuary of a temple" (especially that of Vesta), cognate with penitus "within" (see penetrate).
kit-cat: club founded by Whig politicians in London, 1703; so called from Christopher ("Kit") Catling, keeper of the tavern on Shire Lane, near Temple Bar, in which the club first met. As a designation for "a size of portrait less than half length" (1754), supposedly because the dining room in which portraits of club members hung was too low for half-length portraits.
Athenaeum: 1727, from L., from Gk. Athenaion "(the temple of) Athene," in ancient Athens, in which professors taught and actors or poets rehearsed. Meaning "literary club-room or reading room" is from 1799; "literary or scientific club" is from 1864. Athene, Gk. goddess of wisdom, skills, warfare, etc., has a pre-Gk. name of unknown meaning.
contemplation: early 13c., from O.Fr. contemplation, from L. contemplationem "act of looking at," from contemplari "to gaze attentively, observe," orig. "to mark out a space for observation" (as an augur does). From com- intensive prefix + templum "area for the taking of auguries" (see temple). Originally in Eng., "religious musing."
hagiology: "study of saints' lives," 1807, from Gk. hagios "holy" + logia "study." First element probably cognate with Gk. agnos "chaste," Skt. yajati "reveres (a god) with sacrifices, worships," O.Pers. ayadana "temple." Hagiographical is attested from 1585.
Thea: fem. proper name, from Gk. thea "goddess," fem. equivalent of theos "god," from PIE base *dhes-, root of words applied to various religious concepts, e.g. L. feriae "holidays," festus "festive," fanum "temple."
tabernacle: mid-13c., "portable sanctuary carried by the Israelites in the wilderness," from O.Fr. tabernacle (12c.), from L. tabernaculum "tent," especially "a tent of an augur" (for taking observations), dim. of taberna "hut, cabin, booth" (see tavern). Transferred late 14c. to the Temple in Jerusalem (which continued its function). Sense of "house of worship" first recorded 1690s. The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles (mid-October) was observed as a thanksgiving for harvest.
Leviticus: third book of the Pentateuch, c.1400, from L.L. Leviticus (liber), lit. "book of the Levites," from Gk. to Leuitikon biblion, properly the part of the Pentateuch dealing with the function of the priests who were of the tribe of Levi (a portion of the tribe acted as assistants to the priests in the temple-worship). The Heb. title is Torath Kohanim, lit. "the law of the priests."
mosque: c.1400, moseak, probably from M.Fr. mosquée, from It. moschea, from Sp. mesquita (modern mezquita), from Arabic masjid "temple, place of worship," from sajada "he worshipped" + prefix ma- denoting "place." In M.E. as muskey, moseache, etc.
lyceum: c.1580, L. version of Gk. lykeion, grove or garden with covered walks near Athens where Aristotle taught, from neut. of Lykeios "wolf-slayer," an epithet of Apollo, whose temple was nearby, from lykos "wolf." Hence, Fr. lycée, name given in France to state-run secondary schools. In England, early 19c., lyceum was the name taken by a number of literary societies; in U.S., after c.1820, it was the name of institutes that sponsored popular lectures in science and literature.
pantheon: c.1300, from Pantheon, temple for all the gods, built in Rome c.25 B.C.E. by Agrippa (since 609 C.E. made into the Christian church of Santa Maria Rotonda), from Gk. Pantheion (hieron) "(shrine) of all the gods," from pantheion, neut. of pantheios, from pan- "all" + theios "of or for the gods," from theos "god" (see Thea). Sense of any group of exalted persons is first found 1596.
feast (n.): c.1200, from O.Fr. feste "festival, feast," from V.L. *festa (fem. sing.), from L. festa "holidays, feasts," from neut. pl. of festus "festive, joyful, merry," related to feriæ "holiday" and fanum "temple." The spelling -ea- was used in M.E. to represent the sound we mis-call "long e." The verb first attested c.1300. Related: Feasted; feasting.
Egypt: from Fr. Egypte, from Gk. Aigyptos "the river Nile, Egypt," from Amarna Hikuptah, corresponding to Egypt. Ha(t)-ka-ptah "temple of the soul of Ptah," the creative god associated with Memphis, the ancient city of Egypt. Strictly one of the names of Memphis, it was taken by the Greeks as the name of the whole country. The Egyptian name, Kemet, means "black country," possibly in ref. to the rich delta soil. The Arabic is Misr, which is derived from Mizraim, the name of a son of Biblical Ham.
penetrate: 1412 (implied in penetrable), from L. penetratus, pp. of penetrare "to put or get into, enter into," related to penitus "within, inmost," penus "innermost part of a temple, store of food," penates "household gods." Penetration is first attested 1605, from L. penetrationem (nom. penetratio) "a penetrating or piercing," from penetrare. The sexual sense is attested from 1613. Penetrating in the fig. sense of "touching the feelings intensely" is attested from 1632.
edifice: late 14c., from O.Fr. edifice "building," from L. ædificium "building," from ædificare "to build," from ædis, variant of ædes "temple," in the pl. meaning "dwelling, building," originally "hearth" + the root of facere "to make" (see factitious). ædis is from I.E. base *aidh- "to burn" (cf. Gk. aithein "to burn," Skt. inddhe "burst into flames," O.Ir. aed "fire").
clerk: O.E. clerc, from L.L. clericus "a priest," from Gk. klerikos (adj.) in church jargon "of the clergy," derived from kleros "lot, inheritance" (orig. "a shard used in casting lots"), used by early Gk. Christians for matters relating to ministry based on Deut. xviii:2 reference to Levites as temple assistants: "Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the Lord is their inheritance," transl. of Heb. nahalah "inheritance, lot." If the word choice was meant to remind clerics of anything, however, the reminder was lost with the knowledge of ancient Gk. Or else from the use of the word in Acts i.17. Modern bureaucratic usage is from c.1500, a reminder of the dark ages when clergy alone could read and write.
vestal (adj.): "chaste, pure, virgin," 1590s, originally (early 15c.) "belonging to or dedicated to Vesta," Roman goddess of hearth and home. The noun is recorded from 1570s, short for Vestal virgin, one of four (later six) priestesses (L. virgines Vestales) in charge of the sacred fire in the temple of Vesta in Rome. The goddess name, attested in English from late 14c., corresponds to, and may be cognate with, Gk. Hestia, from hestia "hearth," from PIE base *wes- "to dwell, stay" (cf. Skt. vasati "stays, dwells," Goth. wisan, O.E., O.H.G. wesan "to be").
hall: O.E. heall "place covered by a roof, spacious roofed residence, temple," from P.Gmc. *khallo "to cover, hide" (cf. O.H.G. halla, Ger. halle, Du. hal, O.N. höll "hall;" O.E. hell, Goth. halja "hell"), from PIE base *kel- "to hide, conceal" (see cell). Sense of "entry, vestibule" evolved 17c., at a time when the doors opened onto the main room of a house. Older sense preserved in town hall, music hall, etc., and in university dormitory names. Hall of Fame first attested 1901, in ref. to Columbia College.
sacrilege: c.1300, "crime of stealing what is consecrated to God," from O.Fr. sacrilege (12c.), from L. sacrilegium "temple robbery," from sacrilegus "stealer of sacred things," from phrase sacrum legere "to steal sacred things," from sacrum "sacred object (from neuter sing. of sacer "sacred") + legere "take, pick up" (see lecture). Second element is related to lecture but is not from religion. Transferred sense of "profanation of anything held sacred" is attested from late 14c.
deva: "god, good spirit" in Hindu religion, from Skt. deva "a god," originally "a shining one," from *div- "to shine," thus cognate with Gk. dios "divine" and Zeus, and L. deus "god" (O.Latin deivos); see Zeus. Fem. form devi is used for "goddess," also (with capital D-) for the mother goddess in Hinduism. Hence, also, devadasi "temple dancing girl," lit. "female servant of a god," from dasi "slave girl." Also Devanagari, the formal alphabet of Skt. writings, perhaps originally "divine city script," from nagara "city."
ammonia: 1799, coined 1782 by Swedish chemist Torbern Bergman (1735–1784) for gas obtained from sal ammoniac, salt deposits containing ammonium chloride found near temple of Jupiter Ammon (from Egyptian God Amun) in Libya, from Gk. ammoniakon "belonging to Ammon." The shrine was already ancient in Augustus' day, and the salts were prepared "from the sands where the camels waited while their masters prayed for good omens" [Shipley]. There also was a gum form of sal ammoniac, from a wild plant that grew near the shrine, and across North Africa and Asia. A less likely theory traces the name to Gk. Armeniakon "Armenian," since the substance also was found in Armenia. Also known as Spirit of Hartshorn and Volatile or Animal Alkali.
money: late 13c., "coinage, metal currency," from O.Fr. moneie, from L. moneta "mint, coinage," from Moneta, a title of the Roman goddess Juno, in or near whose temple money was coined; perhaps from monere "advise, warn" (see monitor), with the sense of "admonishing goddess," which is sensible, but the etymology is difficult. Extended early 19c. to include paper money. To make money "earn pay" is first attested mid-15c. Highwayman's threat your money or your life first attested 1841. Phrase in the money (1902) originally meant "one who finishes among the prize-winners" (in a horse race, etc.). The challenge to put (one's) money where (one's) mouth is is first recorded 1942. Moneybags "rich person" is from 1818; money-grub "one who is sordidly intent on amassing money" is from 1768.
"I am not interested in money but in the things of which money is the symbol." [Henry Ford]
house: O.E. hus "dwelling, shelter, house," from P.Gmc. *khusan (cf. O.N., O.Fris. hus, Du. huis, Ger. Haus), of unknown origin, perhaps connected to the root of hide (v.). In Goth. only in gudhus "temple," lit. "god-house;" the usual word for "house" in Goth. being razn. Meaning "family, including ancestors and descendants, especially if noble" is from c.1000. The legislative sense (1540s) is transferred from the building in which the body meets. Meaning "audience in a theater" is from 1921; as a dance club DJ music style, probably from the Warehouse, a Chicago nightclub where the style is said to have originated. Zodiac sense is first attested late 14c. The verb meaning "give shelter to" is O.E. husian (cognate with Ger. hausen, Du. huizen). Household is first recorded late 14c.; for housewife (early 13c.) see hussy. To play house is from 1871; as suggestive of "have sex, shack up," 1968. House arrest first attested 1936; housewarming is from 1577; houseboat is 1790. On the house "free" is from 1889.
"And the Prophet Isaiah the sonne of Amos came to him, and saide vnto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not liue." [2 Kings xx.1, version of 1611]