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10 dictionary results for: shelter

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

shel·ter

[shel-ter] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	something beneath, behind, or within which a person, animal, or thing is protected from storms, missiles, adverse conditions, etc.; refuge.

2.	the protection or refuge afforded by such a thing: He took shelter in a nearby barn.

3.	protection from blame, incrimination, etc.

4.	a dwelling place or home considered as a refuge from the elements: Everyone's basic needs are food, clothing, and shelter.

5.	a building serving as a temporary refuge or residence for homeless persons, abandoned animals, etc.

6.	Finance. tax shelter.

–verb (used with object)

7.	to be a shelter for; afford shelter to: The old barn sheltered him from the rain.

8.	to provide with a shelter; place under cover.

9.	to protect, as by shelter; take under one's protection: Parents should not try to shelter their children from normal childhood disappointments.

10.	Finance. to invest (money) in a tax shelter.

–verb (used without object)

11.	to take shelter; find a refuge: He sheltered in a barn.

12.	Finance. to invest money in a tax shelter.

[Origin: 1575–85; perh. alter. of obs. sheltron testudo, OE scieldtruma, equiv. to scield shield + truma body of fighting men; see trim

]

—Related forms

shel·ter·er, noun

shel·ter·ing·ly, adverb

shel·ter·less, adjective

shel·ter·less·ness, noun

—Synonyms 1. retreat, asylum, sanctuary, shield, haven, harbor. See cover. 7. harbor, house. 9. guard, safeguard, shield, defend.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

shel·ter (shěl'tər) Pronunciation Key
n.

1. Something that provides cover or protection, as from the weather.
2. A refuge; a haven.
3. An establishment that provides temporary housing for homeless people.
The state of being covered or protected.

v. shel·tered, shel·ter·ing, shel·ters

v. tr.

To provide cover or protection for.
To invest (income) to protect it from taxation.

v. intr.
To take cover; find refuge.

[Perhaps from Middle English sheltron, tight battle formation, from Old English scildtruma : scield, shield; see shield + truma, troop; see deru- in Indo-European roots.]

shel'ter·er n., shel'ter·less adj.

Synonyms: These nouns refer to places affording protection, as from danger, or to the state of being protected. Shelter usually implies a covered or enclosed area that protects temporarily, as from injury or attack: built a shelter out of pine and hemlock boughs.
Cover suggests something that conceals: traveled under cover of darkness.
Retreat applies chiefly to a secluded place to which one retires for meditation, peace, or privacy: a rural cabin that served as a weekend retreat.
Refuge suggests a place of escape from pursuit or from difficulties that beset one: "The great advantage of a hotel is that it's a refuge from home life" (George Bernard Shaw).
Asylum adds to refuge the idea of legal protection or of immunity from arrest: "O! receive the fugitive and prepare in time an asylum for mankind" (Thomas Paine).
Sanctuary denotes a sacred or inviolable place of refuge: political refugees finding sanctuary in a monastery.

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
shelter

1585, "structure affording protection," possibly an alteration of M.E. sheltron, sheldtrume "roof or wall formed by locked shields," from O.E. scyldtruma, from scield "shield" (see shield) + truma "troop," related to O.E. trum "firm, strong" (see trim). The notion is of a compact body of men protected by interlocking shields. Fig. sense is recorded from 1588; meaning "temporary lodging for homeless poor" is first recorded 1890 in Salvation Army jargon; sense of "temporary home for animals" is from 1971. The verb is first attested 1590; in the income investment sense, from 1955. Sheltered "protected from the usual hardships of life" is from 1888.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

shelter
noun
1.	a structure that provides privacy and protection from danger
2.	protective covering that provides protection from the weather
3.	the condition of being protected; "they were huddled together for protection"; "he enjoyed a sense of peace and protection in his new home" [syn: protection]
4.	a way of organizing business to reduce the taxes it must pay on current earnings [syn: tax shelter]
5.	temporary housing for homeless or displaced persons
verb
1.	provide shelter for; "After the earthquake, the government could not provide shelter for the thousands of homeless people"
2.	invest (money) so that it is not taxable

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Wallstreet Words - Cite This Source - Share This

shelter

See tax shelter.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms for Today's Investor by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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Wallstreet Words - Cite This Source - Share This

shelter

To protect one's income from taxation. Some taxpayers shelter their income by investing in such activities as oil drilling ventures.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms for Today's Investor by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

Shelter Island, NY (CDP, FIPS 66828) Location: 41.05998 N, 72.32022 W
Population (1990): 1193 (871 housing units)
Area: 16.9 sq km (land), 0.4 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 11964

Shelter Bay, WA (CDP, FIPS 63725) Location: 48.38261 N, 122.51395 W
Population (1990): 1069 (571 housing units)
Area: 2.6 sq km (land), 0.2 sq km (water)

Shelter Island H, NY Zip code(s): 11965

Shelter Island Heights, NY (CDP, FIPS 66850) Location: 41.07570 N, 72.34277 W
Population (1990): 1042 (1250 housing units)
Area: 13.9 sq km (land), 0.7 sq km (water)

U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Shelter

Shel"ter\, n. [Cf. OE. scheltrun, shiltroun, schelltrome, scheldtrome, a guard, squadron, AS. scildtruma a troop of men with shields; scild shield + truma a band of men. See Shield, n.]

1. That which covers or defends from injury or annoyance; a protection; a screen.

The sick and weak the healing plant shall aid, From storms a shelter, and from heat a shade. --Pope.

2. One who protects; a guardian; a defender.

Thou [God] hast been a shelter for me. --Ps. lxi. 3.

3. The state of being covered and protected; protection; security.

Who into shelter takes their tender bloom. --Young.

Shelter tent,a small tent made of pieces of cotton duck arranged to button together. In field service the soldiers carry the pieces.

Syn: Asylum; refuge; retreat; covert; sanctuary; protection; defense; security.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Shelter

Shel"ter\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sheltered; p. pr. & vb. n. Sheltering.]