The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Bethel \Beth"el\ (b[e^]th"[e^]l), n. [Heb. b[=e]th-el house of
   God.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. A place of worship; a hallowed spot. --S. F. Adams.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. A chapel for dissenters. [Eng.]
      [1913 Webster]

   3. A house of worship for seamen.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

bethel
    n 1: a house of worship (especially one for sailors)

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary:

Bethel
   house of God. (1.) A place in Central Palestine, about 10 miles
   north of Jerusalem, at the head of the pass of Michmash and Ai.
   It was originally the royal Canaanite city of Luz (Gen. 28:19).
   The name Bethel was at first apparently given to the sanctuary
   in the neighbourhood of Luz, and was not given to the city
   itself till after its conquest by the tribe of Ephraim. When
   Abram entered Canaan he formed his second encampment between
   Bethel and Hai (Gen. 12:8); and on his return from Egypt he came
   back to it, and again "called upon the name of the Lord" (13:4).
   Here Jacob, on his way from Beersheba to Haran, had a vision of
   the angels of God ascending and descending on the ladder whose
   top reached unto heaven (28:10, 19); and on his return he again
   visited this place, "where God talked with him" (35:1-15), and
   there he "built an altar, and called the place El-beth-el"
   (q.v.). To this second occasion of God's speaking with Jacob at
   Bethel, Hosea (12:4,5) makes reference.

     In troublous times the people went to Bethel to ask counsel of
   God (Judg. 20:18, 31; 21:2). Here the ark of the covenant was
   kept for a long time under the care of Phinehas, the grandson of
   Aaron (20:26-28). Here also Samuel held in rotation his court of
   justice (1 Sam. 7:16). It was included in Israel after the
   kingdom was divided, and it became one of the seats of the
   worship of the golden calf (1 Kings 12:28-33; 13:1). Hence the
   prophet Hosea (Hos. 4:15; 5:8; 10:5, 8) calls it in contempt
   Beth-aven, i.e., "house of idols." Bethel remained an abode of
   priests even after the kingdom of Israel was desolated by the
   king of Assyria (2 Kings 17:28, 29). At length all traces of the
   idolatries were extirpated by Josiah, king of Judah (2 Kings
   23:15-18); and the place was still in existence after the
   Captivity (Ezra 2:28; Neh. 7:32). It has been identified with
   the ruins of Beitin, a small village amid extensive ruins some 9
   miles south of Shiloh.

     (2.) Mount Bethel was a hilly district near Bethel (Josh.
   16:1; 1 Sam. 13:2).

     (3.) A town in the south of Judah (Josh. 8:17; 12:16).


Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (late 1800's):

Beth-el, the house of God


U.S. Gazetteer Counties (2000):

Bethel -- U.S. Census Area in Alaska
   Population (2000):    16006
   Housing Units (2000): 5188
   Land area (2000):     40633.309715 sq. miles (105239.784563 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    4875.149600 sq. miles (12626.578961 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    45508.459315 sq. miles (117866.363524 sq. km)
   Located within:       Alaska (AK), FIPS 02
   Location:             60.888556 N, 161.191411 W
   Headwords:
    Bethel
    Bethel, AK
    Bethel Census Area
    Bethel Census Area, AK


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Bethel, AK -- U.S. city in Alaska
   Population (2000):    5471
   Housing Units (2000): 1990
   Land area (2000):     43.758525 sq. miles (113.334055 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    5.066020 sq. miles (13.120930 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    48.824545 sq. miles (126.454985 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            06520
   Located within:       Alaska (AK), FIPS 02
   Location:             60.789724 N, 161.779332 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Bethel, AK
    Bethel


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Bethel, CT -- U.S. Census Designated Place in Connecticut
   Population (2000):    9137
   Housing Units (2000): 3744
   Land area (2000):     4.083110 sq. miles (10.575207 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    4.083110 sq. miles (10.575207 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            04790
   Located within:       Connecticut (CT), FIPS 09
   Location:             41.373028 N, 73.416168 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     06801
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Bethel, CT
    Bethel


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Bethel, DE -- U.S. town in Delaware
   Population (2000):    184
   Housing Units (2000): 97
   Land area (2000):     0.445357 sq. miles (1.153469 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    0.445357 sq. miles (1.153469 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            05820
   Located within:       Delaware (DE), FIPS 10
   Location:             38.568676 N, 75.620188 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     19931
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Bethel, DE
    Bethel


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Bethel, NC -- U.S. town in North Carolina
   Population (2000):    1681
   Housing Units (2000): 710
   Land area (2000):     1.046209 sq. miles (2.709669 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    1.046209 sq. miles (2.709669 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            05460
   Located within:       North Carolina (NC), FIPS 37
   Location:             35.806916 N, 77.376889 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     27812
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Bethel, NC
    Bethel


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Bethel, OH -- U.S. village in Ohio
   Population (2000):    2637
   Housing Units (2000): 1099
   Land area (2000):     1.339151 sq. miles (3.468384 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    1.339151 sq. miles (3.468384 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            06068
   Located within:       Ohio (OH), FIPS 39
   Location:             38.963171 N, 84.081787 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     45106
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Bethel, OH
    Bethel


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Bethel, MN -- U.S. city in Minnesota
   Population (2000):    443
   Housing Units (2000): 155
   Land area (2000):     0.861781 sq. miles (2.232003 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.056181 sq. miles (0.145507 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    0.917962 sq. miles (2.377510 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            05554
   Located within:       Minnesota (MN), FIPS 27
   Location:             45.402271 N, 93.267734 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Bethel, MN
    Bethel


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Bethel, MO -- U.S. village in Missouri
   Population (2000):    121
   Housing Units (2000): 77
   Land area (2000):     0.141279 sq. miles (0.365912 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    0.141279 sq. miles (0.365912 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            05104
   Located within:       Missouri (MO), FIPS 29
   Location:             39.877205 N, 92.024433 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     63434
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Bethel, MO
    Bethel