sanctuary
noun/ˈsæŋktʃuəri/
/ˈsæŋktʃueri/
(plural sanctuaries)
- [countable] an area where wild birds or animals are protected and encouraged to produce young synonym reserve
- a bird/wildlife sanctuary
- The island was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1969.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- animal
- bird
- marine
- …
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- [uncountable] safety and protection, especially for people who are in danger of being attacked or captured
- to seek/find/take sanctuary in a place
- The government offered sanctuary to 4 000 refugees.
- She longed for the sanctuary of her own home.
- a place of sanctuary
Extra Examples- In former times, criminals could take sanctuary inside a church.
- She retreated swiftly to the sanctuary of her room.
- Thousands of refugees have sought sanctuary in neighbouring countries.
- For many people, gardens are a place of sanctuary providing a retreat from the stress of everyday life.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + sanctuary- seek
- find
- take
- …
- sanctuary from
- sanctuary of
- [countable, usually singular] a safe place, especially one where people who are in danger of being attacked or captured can stay and be protected
- The church became a sanctuary for the refugees.
- It had been built as a sanctuary from World War II bombs.
- [countable] a holy building or the part of it that is considered the most holy
- the sanctuary of Poseidon at Sourvion
- Women were forbidden to enter the sanctuary.
Word OriginMiddle English (in sense (4)): from Old French sanctuaire, from Latin sanctuarium, from sanctus ‘holy’. Early use in reference to a church or other sacred place where a fugitive was immune, by the law of the medieval Church, from arrest, gave rise to senses (1 to 3).
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sanctuary