refugium

[ ri-fyoo-jee-uh m ]

/ rɪˈfyu dʒi əm /

noun, plural re·fu·gi·a [ri-fyoo-jee-uh] /rɪˈfyu dʒi ə/.

an area where special environmental circumstances have enabled a species or a community of species to survive after extinction in surrounding areas.

Nearby words

refuel, refuge, refugee, refugee capital, refugees, refugium, refulgent, refund, refund annuity, refurb, refurbish

Origin of refugium

From Latin, dating back to 1940–45; see origin at refuge

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for refugium

This species may have utilized the mainstream as a refugium in the drought of 1952-'56.
Fish Populations, Following a Drought, in the Neosho and Marais des Cygnes Rivers of Kansas|James Everett Deacon
Nor did they abstain from their criminal pursuits while in this “refugium peccatorum,” or asylum of the wicked.
The Indians' Last Fight|Dennis Collins
While, from that "refugium peccatorum," the shilling gallery, infernal cries of "Down in the front!"
Bentley's Miscellany, Volume II|Various

British Dictionary definitions for refugium

refugium

/ (rɪˈfjuːdʒɪəm) /

noun plural -gia (-dʒɪə)

a geographical region that has remained unaltered by a climatic change affecting surrounding regions and that therefore forms a haven for relict fauna and flora

Word Origin for refugium

C20: Latin: refuge

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012