sanctuary

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Middle English sanctuary , from Old French saintuaire, from Late Latin sanctuarium (“a sacred place, a shrine, a private cabinet, in Medieval Latin also temple, church, churdyard, cemetery, right of asylum”), from Latin sanctus (“holy, sacred”); see saint.

Noun

sanctuary (plural sanctuaries)

1. A place of safety, refuge, or protection.

   My car is a sanctuary, where none can disturb me except for people who cut me off.

2. An area set aside for protection.

   The bird sanctuary has strict restrictions on visitors so the birds aren't disturbed.

3. A state of being protected, asylum.

   The government granted sanctuary to the defector, protecting him from his former government.

4. The consecrated (or sacred) area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.

Synonyms

• haven
• refuge
• zoar

Translations

place of safety or protection

Finnish: turvapaikka (fi) French: refuge (fr) m. Hungarian: szentély (hu) Macedonian: засолниште (mk) (zasólnište) n., прибежиште (mk) (pribéžište) n.

Norwegian: tilfluktssted n. Portuguese: refúgio (pt) m. Turkish: mabet (tr)

area set aside for protection

Finnish: rauhoitusalue, suojelualue (fi) French: réserve (fr) f. Hungarian: menedékhely, védett terület

Macedonian: резерват (mk) (rezervát) m. Norwegian: reservat n. Portuguese: santuário (pt) m.

state of being protected

Finnish: turvapaikka (fi) French: asile (fr) m. Hungarian: védettség

Macedonian: засолнување (mk) (zasolnúvanje) n. Norwegian: asyl (no) n., fristed (no) n.

consecrated area

Czech: svatyně (cs) f. Finnish: pyhäkkö (fi) French: sanctuaire (fr) m. Hungarian: szentély (hu)

Italian: santuario (it) m. Macedonian: светилиште (mk) (svetílište) n. Portuguese: santuário (pt) m.

External links

• sanctuary in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• sanctuary in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911