[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

sanctuary \sanc"tuary\, n.; pl. sanctuaries. oe.
   seintuarie, of. saintuaire, f. sanctuaire, fr. l.
   sanctuarium, from sanctus sacred, holy. see saint.
   a sacred place; a consecrated spot; a holy and inviolable
   site. hence, specifically:
   a the most retired part of the temple at jerusalem, called
       the holy of holies, in which was kept the ark of the
       covenant, and into which no person was permitted to enter
       except the high priest, and he only once a year, to
       intercede for the people; also, the most sacred part of
       the tabernacle; also, the temple at jerusalem.
   b arch. the most sacred part of any religious building,
       esp. that part of a christian church in which the altar
       is placed.
   c a house consecrated to the worship of god; a place where
       divine service is performed; a church, temple, or other
       place of worship.
   d a sacred and inviolable asylum; a place of refuge and
       protection; shelter; refuge; protection.
       1913 webster

             these laws, whoever made them, bestowed on temples
             the privilege of sanctuary.          --milton.
       1913 webster

             the admirable works of painting were made fuel for
             the fire; but some relics of it took sanctuary
             under ground, and escaped the common destiny.
                                                  --dryden.
       1913 webster
       1913 webster
see also:
sanctuaries saint 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

sanctuary
     n 1: a consecrated place where sacred objects are kept
     2: a shelter from danger or hardship syn: refuge, asylum
     3: area around the altar of a church for the clergy and choir;
        often enclosed by a lattice or railing syn: chancel, bema
see also:
refuge asylum chancel bema 

[3] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

80 moby thesaurus words for "sanctuary":
   indian reservation, adytum, archives, asylum, bank, bird sanctuary,
   bolt-hole, cache, chapel, church, concealment, corner, cover,
   covert, coverture, cranny, cubby, cubbyhole, dark corner, den,
   dugout, forest preserve, foxhole, funk hole, game preserve,
   game reserve, game sanctuary, harbor, harbor of refuge, harborage,
   haven, hideaway, hideout, hidey hole, hiding, hiding place, hole,
   holy of holies, holy place, house of god, house of worship, lair,
   library, mosque, museum, national forest, national park, niche,
   nook, oasis, pagoda, paradise, park, port, preserve, protection,
   recess, refuge, reservation, reserve, retreat, sacrarium,
   safe haven, safehold, safety, sanctum, sanctum sanctorum,
   secret place, shelter, shrine, snug harbor, stash, state forest,
   store, stronghold, synagogue, temple, undercovert,
   wilderness preserve, wildlife preserve

[4] : Easton's 1897 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.
   

[5] : Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)

sanctuary. a place of refuge, where the process of the law cannot be 
executed. 
     2. sanctuaries may be divided into religious and civil. the former were 
very common in europe; religious houses affording protection from arrest to 
all persons, whether accused of crime, or pursued for debt. this kind was 
never known in the united states. 
     3. civil sanctuary, or that protection which is afforded to a man by 
his own house, was always respected in this country. the house protects the 
owner from the service of all civil process in the first instance but not if 
he is once lawfully arrested and takes refuge in his own house. vide door; 
house. 
     4. no place affords protection from arrest in criminal cases; a man 
may, therefore, be arrested in his own house in such cases, and the doors 
may be broken for the purpose of making the arrest. vide arrest in criminal 
cases. 

[6] : U.S. Gazetteer (1990)

sanctuary, tx town, fips 65066
  location: 32.90870 n, 97.58391 w
  population 1990: 234 88 housing units
  area: 0.7 sq km land, 0.0 sq km water

[7] : U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000)

sanctuary, tx -- u.s. town in texas
   population 2000:    256
   housing units 2000: 111
   land area 2000:     0.263664 sq. miles 0.682887 sq. km
   water area 2000:    0.000000 sq. miles 0.000000 sq. km
   total area 2000:    0.263664 sq. miles 0.682887 sq. km
   fips code:            65066
   located within:       texas tx, fips 48
   location:             32.908822 n, 97.584209 w
   zip codes 1990:    
   note: some zip codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   headwords:
    sanctuary, tx
    sanctuary

Sanctuary >> S Words
Sanctuary, definition of term: Sanctuary
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