Home › Glossary › Letter T

Temple

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A building dedicated to religious worship or ritual, often considered the dwelling place of a deity.

Detailed Definition
The Temple in Jerusalem was the central sanctuary of ancient Israel, its destruction mourned and its future restoration hoped for. In Hinduism, a temple (mandir) is a microcosm of the universe housing the deity. Poetically, the temple is a multifaceted symbol. It can represent the human body as a vessel for the spirit, the structured world of religious ritual, or the inner sanctum of the heart. It stands as an image of order, sacred space, communion with the divine, and often, the fragility of such holiness in a destructive world.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Hindu poetry, Temple (mandir) is cosmic axis: “Gopuram towers—Temple where earth meets heaven”; In Psalm 27, Temple is refuge: “One thing I ask—Temple, to gaze on God’s beauty”; In contemporary verse, Temple is community: “Soup kitchen—Temple where grace is served on trays”; Poets critique Temple without justice: “Marble halls—Temple that ignores the beggar at gate.”
Additional Notes
Temples serve as microcosms of the cosmos in many traditions—the Hindu mandir mirrors Mount Meru, the Jerusalem Temple reflected divine order, and Buddhist stupas embody enlightenment; unlike churches or mosques, temples are often seen as the actual dwelling of the deity; poets use temple imagery to explore sacred architecture, the body as temple (1 Corinthians 6:19), or the ruins of faith in secular modernity.
Also Known As
Sanctuary House of God Mandir Wat Beit HaMikdash Vihara
Skip to main content