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sanctuary

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sanc⋅tu⋅ar⋅y

  [sangk-choo-er-ee]
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–noun, plural -ar⋅ies.
1. a sacred or holy place.
2. Judaism.
a. the Biblical tabernacle or the Temple in Jerusalem.
b. the holy of holies of these places of worship.
3. an especially holy place in a temple or church.
4. the part of a church around the altar; the chancel.
5. a church or other sacred place where fugitives were formerly entitled to immunity from arrest.
6. immunity afforded by refuge in such a place.
7. any place of refuge; asylum.
8. a tract of land where birds and wildlife, esp. those hunted for sport, can breed and take refuge in safety from hunters.
Origin:
1300–50; ME < LL sānctuārium, equiv. to sānctu- (r. L sānct-), comb. form of sanctus (see Sanctus ) + -ārium -ary

Related forms:
sanc⋅tu⋅ar⋅ied, adjective

Synonyms:
1. church, temple, altar, shrine, sanctum, adytum. 8. preserve.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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sanc·tu·ar·y   (sāngk'chōō-ěr'ē)   
n.   pl. sanc·tu·ar·ies

    1. A sacred place, such as a church, temple, or mosque.

    2. The holiest part of a sacred place, as the part of a Christian church around the altar.

    3. A sacred place, such as a church, in which fugitives formerly were immune to arrest.

    4. Immunity to arrest afforded by a sanctuary.

    1. A sacred place, such as a church, in which fugitives formerly were immune to arrest.

    2. Immunity to arrest afforded by a sanctuary.

  3. A place of refuge or asylum.

  4. A reserved area in which birds and other animals, especially wild animals, are protected from hunting or molestation. See Synonyms at shelter.


[Middle English, from Old French sainctuarie, from Late Latin sānctuārium, from Latin sānctus, sacred; see sanctify.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

sanctuary 
c.1340, "building set apart for holy worship," from Anglo-Fr. sentuarie, from O.Fr. sainctuarie, from L.L. sanctuarium "a sacred place, shrine" (especially the Hebrew Holy of Holies; see sanctum), also "a private room," from L. sanctus "holy" (see saint). By medieval Church law, fugitives or debtors enjoyed immunity from arrest in churches, hence transf. sense of "immunity from punishment" (c.1380). General (non-ecclesiastical) sense of "place of refuge or protection" is attested from 1568; as "land set aside for wild plants or animals to breed and live" it is recorded from 1879. Under English law, one claiming the right of sanctuary had 40 days to confess and accept permanent banishment. This was abolished in Britain 1625 in criminal cases, 1696, 1722 in civil cases.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Bible Dictionary

Sanctuary

denotes, (1) the Holy Land (Ex. 15:17; comp. Ps. 114:2); (2) the temple (1 Chr. 22:19; 2 Chr. 29:21); (3) the tabernacle (Ex. 25:8; Lev. 12:4; 21:12); (4) the holy place, the place of the Presence (Gr. hieron, the temple-house; not the _naos_, which is the temple area, with its courts and porches), Lev. 4:6; Eph. 2:21, R.V., marg.; (5) God's holy habitation in heaven (Ps. 102:19). In the final state there is properly "no sanctuary" (Rev. 21:22), for God and the Lamb "are the sanctuary" (R.V., "temple"). All is there hallowed by the Divine Presence; all is sancturary.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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