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cel·la

(sĕlə)

n.pl. cel·lae(sĕlē)

1. The inner room or sanctuary of an ancient Greek or Roman temple, in which the statue of the god was situated.

2. In Byzantine architecture, the area of a centrally planned church in which the liturgy is performed.In both senses also callednaos.

[Latin; see kel-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

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cella

plan of the Treasury of the Athenians

Delphi, Greece

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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