sanctuary
pronunciation
How to pronounce sanctuary in British English:
UK [ˈsæŋktʃuəri]
How to pronounce sanctuary in American English:
US [ˈsæŋktʃueri]
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- Noun:
- a consecrated place where sacred objects are kept
- a shelter from danger or hardship
- area around the altar of a church for the clergy and choir; often enclosed by a lattice or railing
Word Origin
- sanctuary (n.)
- early 14c., "building set apart for holy worship," from Anglo-French sentuarie, Old French saintuaire "sacred relic, holy thing; reliquary, sanctuary," from Late Latin sanctuarium "a sacred place, shrine" (especially the Hebrew Holy of Holies; see sanctum), also "a private room," from Latin sanctus "holy" (see saint (n.)). Since the time of Constantine and by medieval Church law, fugitives or debtors enjoyed immunity from arrest in certain churches, hence transferred sense of "immunity from punishment" (late 14c.). Exceptions were made in England in cases of treason and sacrilege. General (non-ecclesiastical) sense of "place of refuge or protection" is attested from 1560s; as "land set aside for wild plants or animals to breed and live" it is recorded from 1879.
Example
- 1. The hotel felt like a sanctuary from the chaos outside .
- 2. Members of both groups have found sanctuary with the milf and a haven on mindanao .
- 3. This makes them virtually unbeatable : no counter-insurgency has been won against enemies enjoying such a sanctuary .
- 4. Before , the basement had been my sanctuary .
- 5. A core premise of the sanctuary work is that the best place to resolve differences among people and to create trust is in the community .