əˈsīləm noun
( plural asy·lums -ləmz)
Etymology: Middle English asilum, from Latin asylum, from Greek asylon, neuter of asylos exempt from spoliation, inviolable, from a- a- (II) + sylon right of seizure
1.
a. : a place of refuge and protection (as a temple, altar, or statue of a god or in later times a Christian church) where criminals and debtors found shelter and from which they could not be forcibly taken without sacrilege : sanctuary
b. international law : a place exempted by custom or convention from the territorial jurisdiction of a state within which it is so that refugees may not be followed to or taken from it except by the consent of the state enjoying the immunity
2. : a place of retreat and security : shelter
the land of the free and the asylum of the downtrodden — G.W.Pierson
the ideal world … is an asylum in which he takes refuge from the troubles of existence — John Dewey
3.
a. : the protection or inviolability afforded by an asylum : refuge
the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution — U.N. Declaration of Human Rights
fled to England, where he requested and has received political asylum — Encounter
he can, if he wishes, seek asylum from present tumults in a past period of history — Reinhold Niebuhr
b. : the act or the custom of affording shelter or protection to one under or in danger of persecution
the controversial custom of asylum — Time
for the United States diplomatic asylum is not a principle of international law — Alona Evans
4. : an institution for the protection or relief of some class of destitute, afflicted, or otherwise unfortunate persons
an orphan asylum
an asylum for the deaf and dumb
especially : an institution for the care of the insane