galilee

noun

gal·​i·​lee ˈga-lə-ˌlē 

: a chapel or porch at the entrance of an English church

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin galilea, probably after Galilea, Galilaea galilee, from a monastic and clerical comparison of the church porch, where the laity gathered, to biblical Galilee, regarded, in opposition to Judaea, as a country of Gentiles (as in Matthew 4:15)

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Geographical Definition

Galilee

geographical name

Gal·​i·​lee ˈga-lə-ˌlē 

hill region of northern Israel north of the Plain of Esdraelon

Galilean

ˌga-lə-ˈlē-ən 

adjective or noun