Cenacle
Noun
- A group of people such as a discussion group or literary clique.
- The room in which the Last Supper was held.
Example Sentences
“Our visit to Jerusalem included an afternoon at the Cenacle, the site of the Last Supper.”
“The cenacle meets every month for a museum visit or other cultural event and discusses their thoughts afterward over coffee.”
“They called themselves a cenacle, but they were more of a wine-drinking group than a book club.”
Word Origin
Latin, mid-15th century
Why this word?
History’s most famous cenacle — still open for tourist visits — is that where the Last Supper was held. The word “cenacle” comes from the Latin “cenaculum” (“dining room”) and “cena” (“dinner”), and the Scriptures vary between referring to this particular room as the “cenacle” and the “upper room.” When used as a proper noun, the “Cenacle” is the site in Jerusalem where many events in the New Testament took place. As a common noun, “cenacle” began to be used in the late 19th century as a place where people in literary societies would meet for discussion groups.