ancient temple
4
4.4
- noun
- /ˈeɪnʃənt ˈtɛmpəl/
:
templo antiguo
- And Nara is dotted with amazing ancient temples and shrines full of treasures.
- ruins of an ancient temple
Examples
-
A young scholar searches for the meaning of Malta's ancient temples.
Academic text (2004) -
It was full of ancient temples and culture.
-
The remains of an ancient temple.
Fiction book (1992) -
This ancient temple complex had been erected around the Tooth.
Academic text (2007) -
Their enthusiasm for the ancient temple is palpable.
Academic text (2008) -
Their letter to the Pharaoh was discovered 2,000 years later, in the ruins of the ancient temple city.
-
The Sabbath prayers of a congregation of Orthodox Jews are interrupted by a commotion at the rear of the ancient temple.
Fiction book (1993) -
Many ancient temples have ended up as stone linings for irrigation ditches and wells, or as walls for houses.
Academic text (1996) -
Weathered into eerie shapes by ages of wind and sun and by the rare but torrential rains that swept the Mojave, the formation thrust out of the desert floor like the ruins of an ancient temple now half-buried in sand.
Fiction book (1991) -
The archaeologists studied the remains of the ancient temple to learn about its historical significance.
Synonyms
365
3.4
A building where people go to worship a god, for example in Hindu or ancient Greek religions
1
9.9
A temple or holy building from ancient times
1
7.0
A very old place where people worship, often visited for religious reasons
How Old
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning of 'ancient temple' is directly compositional: 'ancient' = very old and 'temple' = building for worship, so together they clearly mean a very old temple. This simple adjective + noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and easily inferred by a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
Ancient temple combines ancient (very old) and temple (a place for worship). Picture an old stone building where people once prayed; that's why ancient temple means 'a very old temple'.