synagogue

or syn·a·gog

[ sin-uh-gog, -gawg ]

noun

1. a Jewish house of worship, often having facilities for religious instruction.
2. an assembly or congregation of Jews for the purpose of religious worship.
3. the Jewish religion; Judaism.

synagogue

/ ˌsɪnəˈɡɒdʒɪkəl; ˈsɪnəˌɡɒɡ; ˈsɪnəˌɡɒɡəl /

noun

1. 1. a building for Jewish religious services and usually also for religious instruction
   2. ( as modifier )

      synagogue services

2. a congregation of Jews who assemble for worship or religious study
3. the religion of Judaism as organized in such congregations

synagogue

1. In Judaism , a house of worship and learning; also, the congregation that meets there.

Derived Forms

• synagogical, adjective

Other Words From

• syn·a·gog·i·cal [sin-, uh, -, goj, -i-k, uh, l], syn·a·gog·al [sin, -, uh, -gog-, uh, l, -gaw-g, uh, l], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of synagogue¹

1125–75; Middle English synagoge < Late Latin synagōga < Greek synagōgḗ assembly, meeting, equivalent to syn- syn- + agōgḗ, noun use of feminine of agōgós (adj.) gathering, derivative of ágein to bring, lead; akin to Latin agere to drive

Word History and Origins

Origin of synagogue¹

C12: from Old French sinagogue, from Late Latin synagōga, from Greek sunagōgē a gathering, from sunagein to bring together, from syn- + agein to lead

Example Sentences

Trump made his remarks on the sixth anniversary of the Tree of Life shooting, when a right-wing extremist, motivated by hatred of immigrants and Jews, attacked and killed worshipers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

From Salon

The Beverly Hills Police Department has partnered with private security and increased patrols around synagogues and houses of worship “as a precautionary measure,” the agency wrote in a social media post.

From Los Angeles Times

A federal judge on Monday sentenced a former Riverside resident to 35 years in prison for shooting and wounding two Jewish men as they left synagogues in Pico-Robertson last year.

From Los Angeles Times

He also lambasted the district attorney over incidents that occurred within the city of L.A. — which has its own city attorney — including protests, intimidation and violence on campuses and outside a synagogue.

From Los Angeles Times

You write a great deal about the places you lived, the neighborhoods you hung out in, the places you went for recovery and your synagogues.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• chapel
• house of worship
• mosque
• parish
• shrine
• temple