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asylum

n.
US //əˈsaɪɫəm// UK //ɐsˈaɪləm// asy·lum
  1. 1 legal protection (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Law

    the protection a country gives to someone who has left their own country because they were in danger.

    the legal and physical protection granted by a state to a foreign citizen who is a political refugee.

    Example

    The family moved across the border to seek asylum from the war.

    Example

    The government granted her political asylum after she provided evidence that her life was in imminent danger in her home country.

    Usage

    Often used with the verbs 'seek', 'grant', or 'claim'.
  2. 2 a safe place (n.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    a place where you can go to be safe from trouble or danger.

    a place of retreat, safety, or sanctuary from pursuit or hardship.

    Example

    The quiet library was his asylum from the noisy city streets.

    Example

    For the weary traveller, the mountain monastery served as a peaceful asylum from the chaos of the civil unrest below.

    Teacher's tip

    In modern English, this general sense of 'safety' is often replaced by 'sanctuary' or 'haven' to avoid confusion with the legal or historical senses.
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  1. 3 historical hospital (n.)
    C1 Advanced Archaic Medicine

    an old word for a hospital where people with mental illnesses were kept.

    an institution for the care and often restraint of the mentally ill or destitute.

    Example

    The old stone building used to be an asylum for the poor.

    Example

    Nineteenth-century reformers worked to improve the grim conditions found in the county's largest lunatic asylum.

    Teacher's tip

    This sense is now considered offensive or dated; modern speakers use 'psychiatric hospital' or 'mental health facility'.
Origin

From Latin asylum, from Ancient Greek ἄσυλον (ásulon).

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