Meanings
plural sanctuaries
- countableuncountableA place of safety, refuge, or protection.
My car is a sanctuary, where none can disturb me except for people who cut me off.
3 more examples
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.
1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The Last Night with the Dead”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 315‘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.[…]’
1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLCIn January, federal agents indicted 16 sanctuary leaders from Texas and Arizona on charges of helping to harbor illegal immigrants from Central America.
1985 February 9, “Political Asylum Demand”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 29, page 2 - countableuncountableAn area set aside for protection.
The bird sanctuary has strict restrictions on visitors so the birds aren't disturbed.
- countableuncountableA state of being protected, asylum.
The government granted sanctuary to the defector, protecting him from his former government.
- countableuncountableThe consecrated (or sacred) area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.
Near-synonym: chancel (broadly synonymous)
Synonyms: presbytery, presbyterium, chancel[Appendix:Glossary
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe consecrated (or sacred) area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.
More synonyms by meaning
nounarea around the altar of a church for the clergy and choir; often enclosed by a lattice or railing
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinsanctus“holy, sacred”
- Late Latinsanctuarium“a sacred place, a shrine, a private cabinet, in Medieval Latin also temple, church, churchyard, cemetery, right of asylum”
- Old Frenchsaintuaire
- Middle Englishseyntuarie
- Englishsanctuary
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.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans vryplaas, toevlugsoord
- vryplaasplace of safety or protection
- toevlugsoordplace of safety or protection
- toevlugsoordarea set aside for protection
- hawearea set aside for protection
- asielstate of being protected
- heiligdomconsecrated area
Ancient Greek ἄσυλον, ἄσυλον
- ἄσυλον (ásulon)place of safety or protection
- ἄσυλον (ásulon)area set aside for protection
- ἄσυλον (ásulon)state of being protected
- ἄδυτον (áduton)consecrated area
Bulgarian светилище, резерват
- светилище (svetilište)place of safety or protection
- резерват (rezervat)area set aside for protection
- убежище (ubežište)state of being protected
- олтар (oltar)consecrated area
Catalan presbiteri, santuari
- presbitericonsecrated area
- santuariconsecrated area
Chinese Mandarin 避難所 /避难所, 聖所 /圣所
- 避難所 /避难所 (bìnànsuǒ)place of safety or protection
- 聖所 /圣所 (shèngsuǒ)consecrated area
Czech útočiště, svatyně
- útočištěplace of safety or protection
- svatyněconsecrated area
Danish helle, fristed
- helleplace of safety or protection
- fristedplace of safety or protection
- tilflugtsstedplace of safety or protection
Dutch heiligdom
- heiligdomconsecrated area
Esperanto sanktejo
- sanktejoconsecrated area
Estonian pühamu, varjupaik
- pühamuplace of safety or protection
- varjupaikplace of safety or protection
- varjupaikarea set aside for protection
- pühamuconsecrated area
Finnish turvapaikka, rauhoitusalue
- turvapaikkaplace of safety or protection
- rauhoitusaluearea set aside for protection
- suojelualuearea set aside for protection
- turvapaikkastate of being protected
- pyhäkköconsecrated area
French refuge, réserve
- refugeplace of safety or protection
- réservearea set aside for protection
- asilestate of being protected
- sanctuaireconsecrated area
German Zuflucht, Herberge
- Zufluchtplace of safety or protection
- Herbergeplace of safety or protection
- Asylstate of being protected
Greek καταφύγιο, καταφύγιο
- καταφύγιο (katafýgio)place of safety or protection
- καταφύγιο (katafýgio)area set aside for protection
- άσυλο (ásylo)state of being protected
- ιερό (ieró)consecrated area
- άδυτο (ádyto)consecrated area
Hebrew מקלט m miklat, מפלט m miflat
- מקלט m miklatplace of safety or protection
- מפלט m miflatplace of safety or protection
- מסתור m mistorplace of safety or protection
- מחסה n makhasseplace of safety or protection
- שמורה m shmuráarea set aside for protection
- מקלט m miklatstate of being protected
- מתחם קודש m mitkham kodeshconsecrated area
Hindi शरणालय
- शरणालय (śarṇālay)place of safety or protection
Hungarian szentély, menedékhely
- szentélyplace of safety or protection
- menedékhelyarea set aside for protection
- védett területarea set aside for protection
- védettségstate of being protected
- szentélyconsecrated area
Indonesian suaka, suaka
- suakaarea set aside for protection
- suakastate of being protected
Irish tearmann, tearmann
- tearmannplace of safety or protection
- tearmannarea set aside for protection
- tearmannstate of being protected
Italian rifugio, santuario
- rifugioplace of safety or protection
- santuarioconsecrated area
- sancta sanctorumconsecrated area
Japanese 避難所, 聖域
- 避難所 (hinanjo)place of safety or protection
- 聖域 (seiiki)consecrated area
Latin tūtum, sacrarium
- tūtumplace of safety or protection
- sacrariumarea set aside for protection
- fanumarea set aside for protection
- fanumstate of being protected
- sacrariumconsecrated area
Latvian patversme, liegums
- patversmeplace of safety or protection
- liegumsarea set aside for protection
- patvērumsstate of being protected
- svētnīcaconsecrated area
Māori wāhi whakaruru, whakamaurutanga
- wāhi whakaruruplace of safety or protection
- whakamaurutangaplace of safety or protection
- punangaplace of safety or protection
- kāinga punangaplace of safety or protection
- āhuru mōwaiplace of safety or protection
- wāhi rāhuiarea set aside for protection
- whenua rāhuiarea set aside for protection
- rāhuitangastate of being protected
- whakamaurutangastate of being protected
- wāhi tapuconsecrated area
Norwegian reservat
- reservatarea set aside for protection
Norwegian Bokmål tilfluktssted, asyl
- tilfluktsstedplace of safety or protection
- asylplace of safety or protection
- fristedplace of safety or protection
- tilfluktstate of being protected
- asylstate of being protected
- helligdomconsecrated area
Polish sanktuarium, sanktuarium
- sanktuariumplace of safety or protection
- sanktuariumarea set aside for protection
- sanktuariumconsecrated area
Portuguese refúgio, santuário
- refúgioplace of safety or protection
- santuárioarea set aside for protection
- santuárioconsecrated area
Romanian sanctuar, refugiu
- sanctuarplace of safety or protection
- refugiuplace of safety or protection
- adăpostplace of safety or protection
- rezervațiearea set aside for protection
- azilstate of being protected
- sanctuarconsecrated area
Russian убе́жище, прибе́жище
- убе́жище (ubéžišče)place of safety or protection
- прибе́жище (pribéžišče)place of safety or protection
- прию́т (prijút)place of safety or protection
- запове́дник (zapovédnik)area set aside for protection
- зака́зник (zakáznik)area set aside for protection
- резерва́ция (rezervácija)area set aside for protection
- убе́жище (ubéžišče)state of being protected
- святи́лище (svjatílišče)consecrated area
- алта́рь (altárʹ)consecrated area
Scottish Gaelic tèarmann
- tèarmannplace of safety or protection
Spanish santuario
- santuarioconsecrated area
Swedish fristad, tillflykt
- fristadplace of safety or protection
- tillflyktplace of safety or protection
- tillflyktsortplace of safety or protection
- sanktuariumconsecrated area
Turkish mabet, sığınak
- mabetplace of safety or protection
- sığınakplace of safety or protection
Ukrainian приту́лок
- приту́лок (prytúlok)place of safety or protection
Welsh noddfa, seintwar
- noddfaplace of safety or protection
- seintwarplace of safety or protection
- seintwararea set aside for protection
- seintwarconsecrated area
- cysegrfaconsecrated area
Cite this entry
sanctuary. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sanctuary
“sanctuary.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sanctuary. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sanctuary,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sanctuary.
Source: sanctuary on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.