chancel : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: chancel	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for chancel
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
chancel n area around the altar of a church for the clergy and choir; often enclosed by a lattice or railing Synonym(s): chancel, sanctuary, bema
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Chancel \Chan"cel\, n. [OF. chancel, F. chanceau, cancel, fr. L. cancelli lattices, crossbars. (The chancel was formerly inclosed with lattices or crossbars) See {Cancel}, v. t.] (Arch.) (a) That part of a church, reserved for the use of the clergy, where the altar, or communion table, is placed. Hence, in modern use; (b) All that part of a cruciform church which is beyond the line of the transept farthest from the main front. {Chancel aisle} (Arch.), the aisle which passes on either side of or around the chancel. {Chancel arch} (Arch.), the arch which spans the main opening, leading to the chancel. {Chancel casement}, the principal window in a chancel. --Tennyson. {Chancel table}, the communion table.