shrine

Meanings

Noun

• A holy or sacred place dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, or similar figure of awe and respect, at which said figure is venerated or worshipped.
• A case, box, or receptacle, especially one in which are deposited sacred relics, as the bones of a saint.
• A place or object hallowed from its history or associations.

Verb

• To enshrine; to place reverently, as if in a shrine.

Origin

• From Middle English shryne, from Old English scrīn ("reliquary, ark of the covenant"), from Latin scrīnium ("case or chest for books or papers"). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ("to turn, bend"). Compare Old Norse skrín, Old High German skrīni (German Schrein).