shrine

[ shrahyn ]

noun

1. a building or other shelter, often of a stately or sumptuous character, enclosing the remains or relics of a saint or other holy person and forming an object of religious veneration and pilgrimage.
2. any place or object hallowed by its history or associations:

   a historic shrine.

3. any structure or place consecrated or devoted to some saint, holy person, or deity, as an altar, chapel, church, or temple.
4. a receptacle for sacred relics; a reliquary.

verb (used with object)

, shrined, shrin·ing.

1. to enshrine.

shrine

/ ʃraɪn /

noun

1. a place of worship hallowed by association with a sacred person or object
2. a container for sacred relics
3. the tomb of a saint or other holy person
4. a place or site venerated for its association with a famous person or event
5. RC Church a building, alcove, or shelf arranged as a setting for a statue, picture, or other representation of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint

verb

1. See enshrine
   short for enshrine

Derived Forms

• ˈshrineˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• shrineless adjective
• shrinelike adjective
• un·shrined adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shrine¹

before 1000; Middle English schrine, Old English scrīn (cognate with German Schrein, Dutch schrijn ) < Latin scrīnium case for books and papers

Word History and Origins

Origin of shrine¹

Old English scrīn, from Latin scrīnium bookcase; related to Old Norse skrin, Old High German skrīni

Example Sentences

Working with wood, bark and found objects, Frazier devises ritual objects, one of which is presented as a shrine behind a phalanx of half-melted candles.

From Washington Post

Vegetarian restaurants are commonplace near Buddhist temples and shrines.

From Time

The basement became both a shrine and a testament to the seriousness of what Moses learned from Hatcher and Williams about availability.

From Washington Post

The house was built about 1802 by Martha Washington’s grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, who maintained the mansion as a shrine to her husband, George Washington.

From Washington Post

The Insta-famous slab of steel was poised to replace the void left by the removal of the Into the Wild school bus in Alaska and take the mantle of world’s dumbest backcountry shrine.

From Outside Online

He now stood by the sidewalk shrine to the two fallen officers and said.

From The Daily Beast

Many clients come from the neighborhood surrounding the shrine.

From The Daily Beast

Beijing also demanded that Abe declare he will no longer pay visits to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.

From The Daily Beast

Denied in his green-card application, he said, “I came instantly that day,” to the shrine.

From The Daily Beast

“Singing for me, is a prayer,” Nozomi Kawaguchi, the Tokyo-born cantor of Mother Cabrini Shrine, said.

From The Daily Beast

Nervy as men are made, MacRae worshiped at the shrine of an even break, a square deal for friend or foe.

From Project Gutenberg

Possibly it is due to the fact that it did not possess any such shrine, and so did not attract pilgrims.

From Project Gutenberg

Through this shrine, and the daily loving offices required by it, she had never ceased to be a presence in the house.

From Project Gutenberg

It has shone on cathedral spire and dome, and, emblazoned with gold and costly gems, has gleamed on many a sacred shrine.

From Project Gutenberg

But the dim brightness, concentrated upon the holy things, looked like a ray from Heaven shining down upon the unadorned shrine.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• altar
• chapel
• church
• holy place
• mausoleum
• sanctuary
• temple