Etymologically
Log in

asylum

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 00:09. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /əˈsaɪləm/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin asylum (“sanctuary”),[2][3][4][5][6] from Ancient Greek ἄσυλον (ásylon, “refuge”),[2][3][4][6] noun use of the neuter of ásylos “inviolable, safe from violence”,[2][3][4][5] from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-, “without”) + σύλη (sýlē, “right of seizure”).[2][3][4][5][6] Middle English asilum replaced an earlier asile (late 14th century), taken from Old French.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A sanctuary or inviolable refuge for criminals and debtors, from which they could not be forcibly removed (c. 1430, or probably before 1439 in Barnhart).[7][3]

Semantic evolution

From the refuge for fugitives the meaning widened to any secure place of shelter (1642)[7][4] and to the abstract idea of protection or refuge (1712 in Etymonline, 1725 in the OED).[4][7] In the 1770s the word came to mean a benevolent institution sheltering some class of unfortunate people,[7][3][4] originally female orphans,[4] and later especially the mentally ill.[5][2] The international-law sense of protection granted by a state to a political refugee is the main modern use.[2][5][6]

Timeline

  • c. 1384 – asile, from Old French.[3]
  • c. 1430 – a sanctuary for criminals and debtors.[7][3]
  • 1642 – any secure place of refuge.[7][4]
  • 1712 – protection, refuge (Etymonline, with 1725 in the OED).[4][7]
  • 1773 – a benevolent institution, first for orphans (Etymonline, with 1776 in the OED and Barnhart).[4][7][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Protection and immunity from extradition granted by a government to a political refugee.
  2. A place offering protection and safety; a shelter or haven.
  3. (historical) An inviolable place of refuge such as a church, formerly giving shelter to criminals and debtors; a sanctuary.
  4. (chiefly formerly) An institution for the care of people who need special help, especially people with a mental illness.

Word family

  • political asylum
  • sanctuary
  • asylee

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press