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Webster 1913 Edition

Sanctuary

Sanc′tu-a-ry

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Sanctuaries
(#)
.
[OE.
seintuarie
, OF.
saintuaire
, F.
sanctuaire
, fr. L.
sanctuarium
, from
sanctus
sacred, holy. See
Saint
.]
A sacred place; a consecrated spot; a holy and inviolable site.
Hence, specifically:
(a)
The most retired part of the temple at Jerusalem, called the Holy of Holies, in which was kept the ark of the covenant, and into which no person was permitted to enter except the high priest, and he only once a year, to intercede for the people; also, the most sacred part of the tabernacle; also, the temple at Jerusalem.
(b)
(Arch.)
The most sacred part of any religious building, esp. that part of a Christian church in which the altar is placed.
(c)
A house consecrated to the worship of God; a place where divine service is performed; a church, temple, or other place of worship.
(d)
A sacred and inviolable asylum; a place of refuge and protection; shelter; refuge; protection.
These laws, whoever made them, bestowed on temples the privilege of
sanctuary.
Milton.
The admirable works of painting were made fuel for the fire; but some relics of it took
sanctuary
under ground, and escaped the common destiny.
Dryden.

Webster 1828 Edition

Sanctuary

SANC'TUARY

,
Noun.
[L. sanctuarium, from sanctus, sacred.]
1.
A sacred place; particularly among the Israelites, the most retired part of the temple at Jerusalem, called the Holy of Holies, in which was kept the ark of the covenant, and into which no person was permitted to enter except the high priest, and that only once a year to intercede for the people. The same name was given to the most sacred part of the tabernacle. Lev. 4.
Heb. 9.
2.
The temple at Jerusalem. 2Chron. 20.
3.
A house consecrated to the worship of God; a place where divine service is performed. Ps. 73.
Hence sanctuary is used for a church.
4.
In catholic churches, that part of a church where the altar is placed, encompassed with a balustrade.
5.
A place of protection; a sacred asylum. Hence a sanctuary-man is one that resorts to a sanctuary for protection.
6.
Shelter; protection.
Some relics of painting took sanctuary under ground.

Definition 2024

sanctuary

sanctuary

English

Noun

sanctuary ‎(plural sanctuaries)

  1. A place of safety, refuge, or protection.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess:
      ‘I understand that the district was considered a sort of sanctuary,’ the Chief was saying. ‘An Alsatia like the ancient one behind the Strand, or the Saffron Hill before the First World War. […]’
    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

Translations

External links

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

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.

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