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

• shrineless adjective
• shrinelike 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

Flights are temporarily halted, the stock market will trade an hour later and parents are packing shrines for prayers -- it can only be college entry exam day for South Korean students.

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In the village of Murohama, a shrine at the top of the town’s largest hill carried a dire warning.

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In the corner of her living room, Denes has set up a shrine to her missing granddaughter.

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The Rose Bowl is the shrine of college football and a great place to tailgate and celebrate the Bruins.

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But that intervention was a political decision and, for many, a religious duty to protect Shiite shrines in Syria.

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Related Words

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