asylum C1 Topic:Health & Medicine US /əˈsaɪləm/ See IPA manual Freq #6816 Meanings 1 noun Protection given by a country to someone who has fled danger in their own country. The refugees applied for asylum after escaping the war. 2 noun A safe place where someone can find shelter and protection. The old church had long served as an asylum for the poor and homeless. 3 noun An old word for a hospital for people with serious mental illness. In the past, patients were often locked away for years in a grim asylum. Thesaurus Synonyms 2 noun · a safe place where someone... refuge 3 noun · an old word for a hospital... institution More sanctuaryshelter Word family Forms asylums Derived forms asyleeasylophobicasylumlike Related forms non-refoulementrefugee Etymology AI details From Latin asylum, from Ancient Greek ἄσυλον (ásulon). asylum Latin ἄσυλον Ancient Greek View etymology graph -> Topics Health & Medicine Safety & Risk External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # asylum **Type:** Word **Level:** C1 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /əˈsaɪləm/ **Frequency rank:** 6816 ## Meanings 1. Protection given by a country to someone who has fled danger in their own country. 2. A safe place where someone can find shelter and protection. 3. An old word for a hospital for people with serious mental illness. ## Examples - The refugees applied for asylum after escaping the war. - The old church had long served as an asylum for the poor and homeless. - In the past, patients were often locked away for years in a grim asylum. ## Synonyms - sanctuary - shelter ## Derived Forms - asylee - asylophobic - asylumlike ## Related Forms - non-refoulement - refugee ## Roots and Affixes - Root: asylum - Root: ἄσυλον ## Etymology From Latin asylum, from Ancient Greek ἄσυλον (ásulon). ## AI Etymology Asylum is from Latin asylum, from Ancient Greek ἄσυλον (ásulon). Important recorded forms include asylum (Latin) and ἄσυλον (Ancient Greek). Current senses include protection given by a country to someone who has fled danger in their own country, a safe place where someone can find shelter and protection, and an old word for a hospital for people with serious mental illness. The wider family includes derived forms such as asylee, asylophobic, and asylumlike and related words such as non-refoulement and refugee. ## Topics - Health & Medicine - Safety & Risk markdown