# sanctuary

Pronunciation: US say "SANGK-choo-air-ee" /ˈsæŋkt͡ʃuˌɛɹi/; UK say "SANGK-tyoo-uh-ree" /ˈsæŋktjʊəɹi/

## Noun

1. A place where someone can be safe, take refuge, or find protection.
   - Simple: A place where you are safe and protected.
   - _The quiet reading room became her sanctuary during exam week._
   - _The old monastery served as a sanctuary for travelers caught in mountain storms._
2. An area set aside for protection, especially one where wild animals or birds are kept safe from harm.
   - Simple: A place set apart to keep animals or plants safe.
   - _The marsh was declared a wildlife sanctuary, and hunting there was banned._
   - _Whales feed undisturbed in the marine sanctuary off the coast._
3. The state of being protected or sheltered, as when someone is granted asylum.
   - Simple: Being kept safe from danger, like when a country lets someone stay to protect them.
   - _The family sought sanctuary in a church to avoid deportation._
   - _Medieval law allowed a fugitive to claim sanctuary inside a church for a limited time._
4. The consecrated or sacred part of a church or temple, around its altar or tabernacle.
   - Simple: The holy part of a church or temple, near the altar.
   - _The priest climbed the steps into the sanctuary to begin the Mass._
   - _Candles burned on either side of the tabernacle in the sanctuary._

## Origin

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.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sanctuary (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).