Sanctuary Meaning
/ˈsæŋktjʊəɹi/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA place of safety, refuge, or protection.
nounAn area set aside for protection.
Sentence Examples
They desecrated God's sanctuary.
A biodiversity sanctuary in Brazil called The Pantanal is threatened by deforestation.
The sanctuary is before; and the thief, behind.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The bird flew to a wildlife ____ where it was safe from hunters.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The injured bird was taken to a wildlife ____ where it could recover safely.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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, →OCLC:
"In 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:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The bird flew to a wildlife ____ where it was safe from hunters.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The injured bird was taken to a wildlife ____ where it could recover safely.