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, shrining 

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. short for enshrine

Other Word Forms

• shrinelike adjective
• shrineless adjective
• unshrined 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

And then comes the best part: labeling, stacking and watching the freezer transform into a tidy shrine of meals ready to pull from across the coming weeks.

From Salon

To the side of the church an old confession booth has been converted into a shrine to him.

From BBC

Riley ultimately held the performance at the Kiyomizu-dera shrine in Kyoto under what was said to be a magical July full moon.

From Los Angeles Times

On Tuesday a landslide on the route to the popular Hindu shrine Vaishno Devi killed at least 30 people in Indian-administered Kashmir, officials said.

From BBC

It followed pressure from unionists who claimed the site would become a "shrine to terrorism".

From BBC

Related Words

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