shrine

[ shrahyn ]
/ ʃraɪn /

noun

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.
any place or object hallowed by its history or associations: a historic shrine.
any structure or place consecrated or devoted to some saint, holy person, or deity, as an altar, chapel, church, or temple.
a receptacle for sacred relics; a reliquary.

verb (used with object), shrined, shrin·ing.

to enshrine.

Origin of shrine

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

OTHER WORDS FROM shrine

shrine·less, adjective shrine·like, adjective un·shrined, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for shrine

British Dictionary definitions for shrine

shrine
/ (ʃraɪn) /

noun

a place of worship hallowed by association with a sacred person or object
a container for sacred relics
the tomb of a saint or other holy person
a place or site venerated for its association with a famous person or event
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

short for enshrine

Derived forms of shrine

shrinelike, adjective

Word Origin for shrine

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