bema
/ˈbiːmə/ noun
Forms bemas bemata
- noun A platform from which speakers addressed an assembly.
- noun A raised area of worship in a synagogue upon which rests the Holy Ark containing the Scrolls of the Torah.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek βῆμα (bêma, “a step”). Doublet of bima.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A platform from which speakers addressed an assembly. Mitford.
- noun (a) That part of an early Christian church which was reserved for the higher clergy; the inner or eastern part of the chancel.
Etymology [Gr. step, platform.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “bema”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details