sanctuary

The story

1. Latin · derived fromsanctus“holy, sacred”
2. Late Latin · derived fromsanctuarium“a sacred place, a shrine, a private cabinet, in Medieval Latin also temple, church, churchyard, cemetery, right of asylum”
3. Old French · derived fromsaintuaire
4. Middle English · inherited fromseyntuarie
5. English todaysanctuary

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.

Words from the same roots