Search Result for "sanctuary": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (3)

1. a consecrated place where sacred objects are kept;

2. a shelter from danger or hardship;
[syn: refuge, sanctuary, asylum]

3. area around the altar of a church for the clergy and choir; often enclosed by a lattice or railing;
[syn: chancel, sanctuary, bema]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Sanctuary \Sanc"tu*a*ry\, 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]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

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