Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CHOIR, n. [quire; L. chorus; Gr. χορος; Fr. chœur; Sp. Port. and It. coro; Sax. chor; D. choor; G. chor; Ar. كَارَ kaura, to go round, to collect or bind. See Chorus.]

1. A collection of singers, especially in divine service, in a church.
2. Any collection of singers.
3. That part of a church appropriated for the singers, seperated from the chancel and the nave. In congregational and some other churches, the singers are placed in certain seats in the galleries.
4. In nunneries, a large hall adjoining to the body of the church, separated by a grate, where the nuns sing the office.