sanctuary mid-14c., "building set apart for holy worship," from Anglo-Fr. sentuarie, from O.Fr. sainctuarie, from L.L. sanctuarium "a sacred place, shrine" (especially the Hebrew Holy of Holies; see sanctum), also "a private room," from L. sanctus "holy" (see saint). By medieval Church law, fugitives or debtors enjoyed immunity from arrest in churches, hence transferred sense of "immunity from punishment" (late 14c.). General (non-ecclesiastical) sense of "place of refuge or protection" is attested from 1560s; as "land set aside for wild plants or animals to breed and live" it is recorded from 1879. Under English law, one claiming the right of sanctuary had 40 days to confess and accept permanent banishment. This was abolished in Britain 1625 in criminal cases, 1696, 1722 in civil cases.chapel (n.) early 13c., from O.Fr. chapele (12c., Mod.Fr. chapelle), from M.L. cappella "chapel, sanctuary for relics," lit. "little cape," dim. of L.L. cappa "cape" (see cap); by tradition, originally in reference to the sanctuary in France in which the cape of St. Martin of Tours was preserved; meaning extended in most European languages to "any sanctuary."penates (n.) Roman household gods, 1510s, from L. penates "gods of the inside of the house," related to penatus "sanctuary of a temple" (especially that of Vesta), cognate with penitus "within" (see penetrate).sentry (n.) 1610s, originally "watchtower;" perhaps a shortened variant of sentinel, which had a variant form centrinel (1590s), or worn down from sanctuary, on notion of "shelter for a watchman." Meaning "military guard posted around a camp" is first attested 1630s. Sentry-box is from 1728.Mecca Arabic Makkah, sacred city of Islam, birthplace of Muhammad, which every Muslim must visit at least once. Origins have been proposed in Phoenician maqaq "ruined" or Arabic mahrab "sanctuary." Figurative sense of "any place one holds supremely sacred" (usually with lower-case m-) is in English from 1850. Related: Meccan.denim 1690s, from Fr. serge de Nîmes "serge from Nîmes," town in southern France. Application to "coarse cotton cloth" is first recorded 1850 in Amer.Eng. Denims "pants made of denim" recorded from 1868. The place name is Roman Nemausus, said to be ultimately from Gaulish nemo "sanctuary."tabernacle (n.) mid-13c., "portable sanctuary carried by the Israelites in the wilderness," from O.Fr. tabernacle (12c.), from L. tabernaculum "tent," especially "a tent of an augur" (for taking observations), dim. of taberna "hut, cabin, booth" (see tavern). Transferred late 14c. to the Temple in Jerusalem (which continued its function). Sense of "house of worship" first recorded 1690s. The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles (mid-October) was observed as a thanksgiving for harvest.asylum early 15c., earlier asile (late 14c.), from L. asylum "sanctuary," from Gk. asylon "refuge," noun use of neut. of asylos "inviolable, safe from violence," especially of persons seeking protection, from a- "without" + syle "right of seizure." So literally "an inviolable place." General sense of "safe or secure place" is from 1640s; meaning "benevolent institution to shelter some class of persons" is from 1776.edifice (n.) late 14c., from O.Fr. edifice "building," from L. aedificium "building," from aedificare "to erect a building," from aedis, variant of aedes "temple, sanctuary," usually a single edifice without partitions, also, in the plural, "dwelling house, building," originally "a place with a hearth" + the root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Ædis is from PIE *aidh- "to burn" (cf. Gk. aithein "to burn," Skt. inddhe "burst into flames," O.Ir. aed "fire," Welsh aidd "heat, zeal," O.H.G. eit "funeral pile"), from root *ai- "to burn."
