كَنِيسَةٌ
1.
A place of worship (K) of the Christians; [a Christian church:] (S, A, K:) or of the Jews; (Sgh, K;) i. e., of the Jews only: [a Jewish synagogue;] that of Christians being called بِيعَةٌ: (Sgh:) [Chald
כְנישָׁה: (Golius:)] or both; (Mgh, Msb;) being sometimes applied to the former [in classical times, as it is in the present day, as well as to the latter]: (Msb:) or of unbelievers, (K,) absolutely: (TA:) an arabicized word, [from the Chaldee mentioned above, or] from [the Persian word] كُنِسْتْ (Az, Mgh) or كَنَسْتْ (TA) [signifying “ a firetemple ”]: plural كَنَايءِسُ. (A, Msb.)
2.
A thing resembling [the kind of camel-litter called] a
هَوْدَج, composed of twigs, or branches, stuck in a
مَحْمِل
or a
رَحْل, with a cloth thrown over them, in which the rider sits in the shade and conceals himself: (Mgh, Msb:) of the measure فَعِيلَةٌ from كُنُوسٌ [a verbal noun of كَنَسَ]: (Mgh:) plural as above. (Msb.)