sanctuary

C2+ Topic:Places & Geography

US /ˈsæŋktʃuɛri/ UK /ˈsæŋktʃuəri/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a place of refuge, safety, or worship

The old church became a sanctuary for the refugees.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a place of refuge, safety,... refuge haven shelter asylum retreat shrine sanctum

Word family

Related forms sanctify sanctity sanctum saint

Simplified etymology

Sanctuary entered English in the Middle English period and is based on Latin sanctus “holy.” It originally meant a holy place where a person was safe from attack or arrest.

Etymology

From Old French sanctuaire, from Latin sanctuarium ('a sacred place'), from sanctus ('holy').

sanctuarium Latin sanctus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Places & Geography Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# sanctuary

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈsæŋktʃuɛri/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsæŋktʃuəri/

## Meanings
1. a place of refuge, safety, or worship

## Examples
- The old church became a sanctuary for the refugees.

## Synonyms
- refuge
- haven
- shelter
- asylum
- retreat
- shrine
- sanctum

## Related Forms
- sanctify
- sanctity
- sanctum
- saint

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: sanctuarium
- Root: sanctus

## Etymology
From Old French sanctuaire, from Latin sanctuarium ('a sacred place'), from sanctus ('holy').

## AI Etymology
Sanctuary comes from Old French sanctuaire, from Latin sanctuarium ('a sacred place'), from sanctus ('holy'). The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As a noun, it denotes "a place of refuge, safety, or worship", keeping the historical idea close to its dictionary sense. Relevant historical forms include Latin sanctuarium and Latin sanctus. Related words include sanctify, sanctity, sanctum, saint.

## Topics
- Places & Geography
- Word Formation & Derivatives

markdown