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sanctuaries

Variant of sanctuary

noun pl. sanctuaries

  1. a holy place, as a building set aside for worship of the divinity or of one or more deities; specif.,
    1. the ancient Temple at Jerusalem
    2. a Christian church
    3. any church or temple
    4. a particularly holy place within a church or temple, as the part around the altar, the holy of holies in the Jewish Temple, etc.
    1. a place of refuge or protection; asylum: orig., fugitives from justice were immune from arrest in churches or other sacred places
    2. immunity from punishment or the law, as by taking refuge in a church, etc.
  2. a reservation where animals or birds are sheltered for breeding purposes and may not be hunted or trapped

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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