sanctuary
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
< Middle English sanctuary < Old French saintuaire < Late Latin sanctuarium (“‘a sacred place, a shrine, a private cabinet, in ML. also temple, church, churdyard, cemetery, right of asylum’”) < Latin sanctus (“‘holy, sacred’”); see saint.
[edit] Noun
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Singular |
Plural |
sanctuary (plural sanctuaries)
- A place of safety, refuge, or protection.
- My car is a sanctuary, where none can disturb me except for people who cut me off.
- An area set aside for protection.
- The bird sanctuary has strict restrictions on visitors so the birds aren't disturbed.
- A state of being protected, asylum.
- The government granted sanctuary to the defector, protecting him from his former government.
- The consecrated (or sacred) area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Translations
place of safety or protection
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area set aside for protection
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state of being protected
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consecrated area
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[edit] External links
- sanctuary in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- sanctuary in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911