bema
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be·ma
(bē′mə)n. pl. be·ma·ta (-mə-tə)
1. Judaism The platform from which services are conducted in a synagogue. Also called almemar.
2. Eastern Orthodox Church The area of a church in which the altar is located; the sanctuary.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
bema
(ˈbiːmə) ,bimah
orbima
n
1. (Historical Terms) the speaker's platform in the assembly in ancient Athens
2. (Eastern Church (Greek & Russian Orthodox)) Eastern Orthodox Church a raised area surrounding the altar in a church; the sanctuary
3. (Judaism) Judaism another word for almemar
[C17: via Late Latin, from Greek bēma, from bainein to go]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
be•ma
(ˈbi mə)n., pl. -ma•ta (-mə tə) -mas.
1. the enclosed space around the altar in an Eastern church.
2. Also, bimah. a platform in a synagogue for the table used when reading from the Torah.
[1675–85; < Greek bêma step, platform =bē-, variant s. of baínein to step, go + -ma n. suffix of result; (definition 3) (< Yiddish bime) < Hebrew bīmāh < Greek]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. |  bema - area around the altar of a church for the clergy and choir; often enclosed by a lattice or railingarea - a part of a structure having some specific characteristic or function; "the spacious cooking area provided plenty of room for servants" choir - the area occupied by singers; the part of the chancel between sanctuary and nave church building, church - a place for public (especially Christian) worship; "the church was empty" |
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