Webster's English Dictionary

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sanctuary

sanc.tu.ary \'san(k)-ch*-.wer-e-\ n [ME sanctuarie, fr. MF sainctuarie, fr. 
   LL sanctuarium, fr. L] sanctus 1: a consecrated place : as  1a: the ancient 
   Hebrew temple at Jerusalem or its holy of holies  1b: the most sacred part 
   of a religious building (as the part of a Christia n church in which the 
   altar is placed) 2a: a place of refuge and protection  2b: the immunity 
   from law attached to a sanctuary