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, shrin·ing.

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

Derived Forms

• ˈshrineˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• shrineless adjective
• shrinelike adjective
• un·shrined 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

Another Islamist militant leader who destroyed ancient shrines in Timbuktu was sentenced to nine years in jail in 2016.

From BBC

Visible through one of the windows flanking the front door, she sat so still that she might have been mistaken for a statue, like the lion-dogs that guard the entrance to a Shinto shrine.

From Los Angeles Times

It becomes a kind of altar as well as a monument, as Whitehall temporarily becomes a mixture of a church, military parade ground and national shrine.

From BBC

In another mailer, De León posed with firefighters in front of the iconic Virgin of Guadalupe shrine at the Ramona Garden housing complex in Boyle Heights and talked to voters at Mariachi Plaza.

From Los Angeles Times

He also cancelled an appearance at the National Rifle Association and at less overtly political events like the unveiling of a Polish-American Catholic shrine in Pennsylvania.

From Salon

Related Words

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