sanctuary

English

Etymology

From Middle English seyntuarie, from Old French saintuaire, from Late Latin sanctuarium (“a sacred place, a shrine, a private cabinet, in Medieval Latin also temple, church, churchyard, cemetery, right of asylum”), from Latin sanctus (“holy, sacred”); see saint.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsæŋktjʊəɹi/, /ˈsæŋkt͡ʃʊəɹi/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsæŋkt͡ʃuˌɛɹi/
Hyphenation: sanc‧tu‧ary

Noun

sanctuary (countable and uncountable, plural sanctuaries)

A sanctuary in the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal

A place of safety, refuge, or protection.
- 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], OCLC 21345056, page 315:
  She saw him, even as she had last gazed upon him, pale, cold, and awful; but still he was there. The coffin was to her like a shrine; all that she held most dear and most precious was within its dark and silent sanctuary.
- 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.
An area set aside for protection.
The bird sanctuary has strict restrictions on visitors so the birds aren't disturbed.
A state of being protected, asylum.
The government granted sanctuary to the defector, protecting him from his former government.
The consecrated (or sacred) area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.

Synonyms

Synonyms of sanctuary

haven
presbytery
refuge
shelter
zoar

Hyponyms

privileged sanctuary

Derived terms

sanctuary city
sanctuarylike

Translations

place of safety or protection

Afrikaans: vryplaas, toevlugsoord
Bulgarian: светилище (bg) n (svetilište)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 避難所／避难所 (zh) (bìnànsuǒ)
Czech: útočiště (cs) n
Danish: helle n, fristed n, tilflugtssted n
Estonian: pühamu (et), varjupaik
Finnish: turvapaikka (fi)
French: refuge (fr) m
German: Zuflucht (de) f, Herberge (de) f
Greek: καταφύγιο (el) n (katafýgio)
Ancient: ἄσυλον n (ásulon)
Hungarian: szentély (hu)
Italian: rifugio (it) m
Japanese: 避難所 (ひなんじょ, hinanjo)
Latin: tūtum n
Macedonian: засо́лниште n (zasólnište), прибе́жиште n (pribéžište)
Maori: wāhi whakaruru, whakamaurutanga, punanga, kāinga punanga (Referring to a settlement)
Middle English: grith
Norwegian:
Bokmål: tilflukt m or f, tilfluktssted n
Nynorsk: tilflukt f
Old English: friþstōw f
Polish: sanktuarium (pl) n
Portuguese: refúgio (pt) m
Romanian: sanctuar (ro) n, refugiu (ro) n, adăpost (ro) n
Russian: убе́жище (ru) n (ubéžišče), прибе́жище (ru) n (pribéžišče), прию́т (ru) m (prijút)
Scottish Gaelic: tèarmann m
Swedish: fristad (sv) c, tillflykt (sv) c, tillflyktsort (sv) c
Tocharian B: waste, śarāṃ
Turkish: mabet (tr)

area set aside for protection

Afrikaans: toevlugsoord, hawe
Bulgarian: резерват m (rezervat)
Estonian: varjupaik
Finnish: rauhoitusalue, suojelualue
French: réserve (fr) f
Greek: καταφύγιο (el) n (katafýgio)
Ancient: ἄσυλον n (ásulon)
Hungarian: menedékhely (hu), védett terület
Indonesian: suaka (id)
Latin: sacrarium n, fanum n
Macedonian: резерва́т m (rezervát)
Maori: wāhi rāhui, whenua rāhui
Middle English: grith
Norwegian: reservat (no) n
Old English: friþstōw f
Portuguese: santuário (pt) m
Romanian: rezervație (ro) f
Russian: запове́дник (ru) m (zapovédnik), зака́зник (ru) m (zakáznik), резерва́ция (ru) f (rezervácija)

state of being protected

Afrikaans: asiel
Bulgarian: убежище (bg) n (ubežište)
Finnish: turvapaikka (fi)
French: asile (fr) m
German: Asyl (de) n
Greek: άσυλο (el) n (ásylo)
Ancient: ἄσυλον n (ásulon)
Hungarian: védettség (hu)
Indonesian: suaka (id)
Latin: fanum n, fanum n
Macedonian: засолну́вање n (zasolnúvanje)
Maori: rāhuitanga, whakamaurutanga
Middle English: grith
Norwegian: asyl n, fristed n
Old English: ġebeorg n
Romanian: azil (ro) n
Russian: убе́жище (ru) n (ubéžišče)

consecrated area

Afrikaans: heiligdom
Aghwan: 𐕌𐕒𐕡𐕟𐕒𐕡𐕙𐕒𐕡𐕎 (muc̣'urun)
Bulgarian: олтар (bg) m (oltar)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 聖所／圣所 (shèngsuǒ)
Czech: svatyně (cs) f
Dutch: heiligdom (nl) n
Esperanto: sanktejo
Estonian: pühamu (et)
Finnish: pyhäkkö (fi)
French: sanctuaire (fr) m
Galician: santuario m
Greek: ιερό (el) n (ieró), άδυτο (el) n (ádyto)
Ancient: ἄδυτον n (áduton)
Hungarian: szentély (hu)
Italian: santuario (it) m, sancta sanctorum (it) m
Latin: sacrarium
Macedonian: свети́лиште n (svetílište)
Maori: wāhi tapu
Old English: hāliġnes f
Polish: sanktuarium (pl) n
Portuguese: santuário (pt) m
Romanian: sanctuar (ro) n
Russian: святи́лище (ru) n (svjatílišče), алта́рь (ru) m (altárʹ)
Spanish: sanctuario m
Swedish: sanktuarium (sv)