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sanctuary

Syllabification: (sanc·tu·ar·y)
Pronunciation: /ˈsaNG(k)CHo͞oˌerē/
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Definition of sanctuary

noun (plural sanctuaries)

  • 1a place of refuge or safety:people automatically sought a sanctuary in time of trouble his sons took sanctuary in the church
  • 2 [usually with modifier] a nature reserve:a bird sanctuary
  • 3a holy place; a temple or church.
  • the inmost recess or holiest part of a temple or church.
  • the part of the chancel of a church containing the high altar.

Origin:

Middle English (sanctuary (sense 3)): from Old French sanctuaire, from Latin sanctuarium, from sanctus 'holy'. The early sense 'a church or other sacred place where a fugitive was immune, by the law of the medieval church, from arrest' gave rise to sanctuary (sense 1) and sanctuary (sense 2)

sanctuary in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of sanctuary in the British & World English dictionary

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