Standard Lemma guide

baptistry

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A designated space within a church, or a separate room or building associated with a church, where a baptismal font is located, and consequently, where the sacrament of Christian baptism (via aspersion or affusion) is performed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: Christianity

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An indoor pool used for baptism by immersion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

bowl for baptismal water

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: baptismal font, baptistery, font

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: basin

History

Etymology

From Middle English baptistery, baptisterie, from Ecclesiastical Latin baptistērium, from Ancient Greek βαπτιστήριον (baptistḗrion); equivalent to baptism + -ry.

Across languages

Translations

48 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: баптисте́рий (baptistérij) — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Bulgarian: кръщелня (krǎštelnja) — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Catalan: baptisteri — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Chinese Mandarin: 洗禮堂 /洗礼堂 (xǐlǐtáng) — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Czech: baptisterium — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Danish: dåbskapel — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Dutch: baptisterium — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Dutch: doopkapel — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Esperanto: baptisterio — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Estonian: baptisteerium — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Finnish: kastekappeli — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Finnish: baptisterio — space where a baptismal font is located
  • French: baptistère — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Old French: baptisterie — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Galician: baptisterio — space where a baptismal font is located
  • German: Baptisterium — space where a baptismal font is located
  • German: Taufkapelle — space where a baptismal font is located
  • German: Taufkirche — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Greek: βαπτιστήριο (vaptistírio) — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Hungarian: keresztelőkápolna — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Hungarian: baptisztérium — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Italian: battistero — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Japanese: 洗礼堂 (seirei-dō) — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Korean: 세례당 (seryedang) — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Latin: baptistērium — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Macedonian: крстилница (krstilnica) — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Norwegian Bokmål: baptisterium — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Norwegian Bokmål: dåpskapell — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Polish: baptysterium — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Portuguese: batistério — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Romanian: baptisteriu — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Russian: баптисте́рий (baptistérij) — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Serbo-Croatian: баптистеријум — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Serbo-Croatian: баптистериј — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Serbo-Croatian: крстионица — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Serbo-Croatian: baptisterijum — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Serbo-Croatian: baptisterij — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Serbo-Croatian: krstionica — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Slovak: baptistérium — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Slovene: krstilnica — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Spanish: baptisterio — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Swedish: baptisterium — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Swedish: dopkapell — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Swedish: dopkyrka — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Tagalog: binyagan — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Tagalog: bawtisteryo — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Turkish: vaftizhane — space where a baptismal font is located
  • Ukrainian: баптисте́рій (baptystérij) — space where a baptismal font is located