- temple (n.1)
- "building for worship," Old English tempel, from Latin templum "piece of ground consecrated for the taking of auspices, building for worship," of uncertain signification. Commonly referred either to PIE root *tem- "to cut," on notion of "place reserved or cut out," or to PIE root *temp- "to stretch," on notion of cleared space in front of an altar. Figurative sense of "any place regarded as occupied by divine presence" was in Old English. Applied to Jewish synagogues from 1590s.
- temple (n.2)
- "side of the forehead," early 14c., from Old French temple "side of the forehead" (11c.), from Vulgar Latin *tempula (feminine singular), from Latin tempora, plural of tempus (genitive 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 Old English ðunwange, literally "thin cheek."