shelter

English

A bus shelter in Reykjavik, Iceland

Etymology

From Middle English sheltron, sheldtrume (“roof or wall formed by locked shields”), from Old English sċildtruma, sċyldtruma (“a phalanx, company (of troops), a tortoise, a covering, shed, shelter”, literally “shield-troop”), from sċyld, sċield (“shield”) + truma (“a troop of soldiers”). Cognate with Scots schilthrum, schiltrum. More at shield, and Old English trymman (“to strengthen”), from trum (“strong, firm”) at trim.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃɛltə/
• IPA^(key): /ˈʃɛltɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛltə(r)

Noun

shelter (plural shelters)

1. A refuge, haven or other cover or protection from something.
   • 1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 7, in Well Tackled!‎^[1]:

     The detective kept them in view. He made his way casually along the inside of the shelter until he reached an open scuttle close to where the two men were standing talking. Eavesdropping was not a thing Larard would have practised from choice, but there were times when, in the public interest, he had to do it, and this was one of them.

2. An institution that provides temporary housing for homeless people, battered women etc.

Derived terms

• air-raid shelter
• bomb shelter
• bus shelter
• waiting shelter

Translations

a refuge or other protection

• Arabic: مَلَاذ m (malāḏ)
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Belarusian: прыту́лак m (prytúlak)
• Bengali: আশ্রয় (asroẏ)
• Bulgarian: убе́жище (bg) n (ubéžište)
• Catalan: aixopluc (ca), recer (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 棲身之地／栖身之地, 栖身之地 (qīshēn zhīdì), 住處／住处 (zh) (zhùchù), 住处 (zh) (zhùchù), 庇護／庇护 (zh), 庇护 (zh) (bìhù), 掩蔽 (zh) (yǎnbì)

• Czech: útočiště (cs) n
• Dutch: onderdak (nl) n, toevluchtsoord (nl) n, hokje (nl) n, schuilplaats (nl) c
• Egyptian: (kꜣp)
• Esperanto: ŝirmo
• Finnish: suojapaikka, turvapaikka (fi), suoja (fi)
• French: abri (fr), refuge (fr) m
• Georgian: თავშესაფარი (tavšesapari)
• German: Zuflucht (de) f, Obdach (de) n, Zufluchtsort (de) m, Schutzraum (de) m
• Greek: καταφύγιο (el) n (katafýgio)

  Ancient: σκέπη f (sképē)

• Hebrew: מִקְלָט (he) m (miklát)
• Hindi: शरण (hi) f (śaraṇ)
• Hungarian: (abstractly): menedék (hu), védelem (hu), oltalom (hu), (as a place): menedékhely (hu), óvóhely (hu), menedékház (hu)
• Icelandic: skjól n, athvarf (is) n
• Irish: foscadh m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: rifugio (it) m, riparo (it) m
• Japanese: 避難所 (ひなんじょ, hinanjo)
• Kabuverdianu: gazadju
• Korean: 피난처 (ko) (pinancheo)
• Ladin: sosta f
• Latin: tegmen n, suffugium n
• Macedonian: засолниште n (zasolnište)
• Maori: tūrutu, pātūtū, tāwharau, māhauhau (temporary)
• Norwegian: ly
• Polish: schronienie (pl) n, schronisko (pl) n, przytułek (pl) m
• Portuguese: refúgio (pt), abrigo (pt) m, amparo (pt), asilo (pt)
• Russian: убе́жище (ru) n (ubéžišče)
• Scottish Gaelic: dìon m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: уточиште n

  Roman: utočište (sh) n

• Slovak: útočisko n
• Slovene: zaklonišče n
• Spanish: refugio (es) m, abrigo (es), amparo (es), asilo (es), abrigadero (es)
• Swedish: skydd (sv) n
• Ukrainian: приту́лок (uk) m (prytúlok)
• Urdu: شرن f (śaraṇ)

institution

• Dutch: opvang (nl) c
• Finnish: yömaja (fi)
• Greek: άσυλο (el) n (ásylo), στέγη (el) f (stégi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: menedékhely (hu), menhely (hu), (for homeless people): hajléktalanszálló (hu)
• Spanish: hogar (es) m

Verb

shelter (third-person singular simple present shelters, present participle sheltering, simple past and past participle sheltered)

1. (transitive) To provide cover from damage or harassment; to shield; to protect.
   • (Can we date this quote by Dryden and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Those ruins sheltered once his sacred head.

   • (Can we date this quote by Southey and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     You have no convents […] in which such persons may be received and sheltered.

2. (intransitive) To take cover.

   During the rainstorm, we sheltered under a tree.

Translations

transitive, to provide cover

• Catalan: aixoplugar (ca)
• Esperanto: ŝirmi
• Finnish: suojata (fi)
• French: abriter (fr)
• Georgian: შეფარება (šepareba)
• Greek: προστατεύω (el) (prostatévo), προσφέρω καταφύγιο (prosféro katafýgio)
• Hungarian: menedéket nyújt, véd (hu), megvéd (hu), oltalmaz (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: dare rifugio
• Maori: tāwharau, whakaruru, whakamarumaru, whakamauru, whakaruruhau, whakamaru, whakahau
• Portuguese: proteger (pt), refugiar
• Scottish Gaelic: dìon
• Spanish: cobijar (es)
• Swedish: skydda (sv)

intransitive, to take cover

• Catalan: aixoplugar-se (ca)
• Finnish: suojautua (fi)
• French: s’abriter (fr)
• Hungarian: menedéket/-re talál/lel, behúzódik (hu)
• Italian: rifugiarsi (it), ripararsi (it)
• Ladin: ji a sosta
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maori: ruru, tāwharau
• Portuguese: proteger-se, refugiar-se
• Spanish: refugiarse (es)
• ǃXóõ: ǀgâa

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} brinuti se (sh), ^{(please verify)} zbrinuti (sh)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Anagrams

• Ehlerts, Hertels, Shetler, helters, three Ls