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Origin and history of asylum

asylum(n.)

early 15c., earlier asile (late 14c.), "place of refuge, sanctuary," from Latin asylum "sanctuary," from Greek asylon "refuge, fenced territory," noun use of neuter of asylos "inviolable, safe from violence," especially of persons seeking protection, from a- "without" (see a- (3)) + sylē "right of seizure," which is of unknown etymology.

Literally, "an inviolable place." Formerly a place where criminals and debtors sought shelter from justice and from which they could not be taken without sacrilege. The general sense of "safe or secure place" is from 1640s; the abstract sense of "inviolable shelter, protection from pursuit or arrest" is from 1712. The meaning "benevolent institution to shelter some class of persons suffering social, mental, or bodily defects" is from 1773, originally of female orphans.

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to asylum

asylee(n.)

"one seeking asylum" in a nation, by 1954, irregularly formed from asylum + -ee.

a-(3)

prefix meaning "not, without," from Greek a-, an- "not" (the "alpha privative"), from PIE root *ne- "not" (source also of English un-).

In words from Greek, such as abysmal, adamant, amethyst; also partly nativized as a prefix of negation (asexual, amoral, agnostic). The ancient alpha privatum, denoting want or absence.

Greek also had an alpha copulativum, a- or ha-, expressing union or likeness, which is the a- expressing "together" in acolyte, acoustic, Adelphi, etc. It is from PIE root *sem- (1) "one; as one, together with."

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    institution
    c. 1400, "action of establishing or founding (a system of government, a religious order, etc.)," from Old French institucion "foundation; thing established" (12c.), from Latin institutionem (nominative institutio) "a disposition, arrangement; instruction, education," noun of stat
    refuge
    "shelter or protection from danger, assistance in distress," late 14c., from Old French refuge "hiding place" (12c.), from Latin refugium "a taking refuge; a place of refuge, place to flee back to," from re- "back" (see re-) + fugere "to flee" (see fugitive (adj.)) + -ium neuter
    sanctuary
    early 14c., seintuarie, sentwary, etc., "consecrated place, building set apart for holy worship; holy or sacred object," from Anglo-French sentuarie, Old French saintuaire "sacred relic, holy thing; reliquary, sanctuary," from Late Latin sanctuarium "a sacred place, shrine" (espe
    penitentiary
    correction, prison in which convicts are confined for punishment and reformation and compelled to labor" (originally an asylum...
    bedlam
    It was converted to a civic lunatic asylum on dissolution of the monasteries in 1547....
    bughouse
    As a noun, from 1891 as "insanity," 1898 as "insane asylum."...
    refugee
    The word meant "one seeking asylum" until 1914, when it evolved to mean "one fleeing home" (first applied in this sense to...
    sanatorium
    by 1839 as "hospital, usually private, for the treatment of invalids, convalescents, etc., who might benefit from open air;" by 1842 as "place to which people go for the sake of health or to regain health;" Modern Latin, noun use of neuter of Late Latin adjective sanitorius "heal
    hospital
    mid-13c., "shelter for the needy," from Old French hospital, ospital "hostel, shelter, lodging" (Modern French hôpital), from Late Latin hospitale "guest-house, inn," noun use of neuter of Latin adjective hospitalis "of a guest or host" (as a noun, "a guest; the duties of hospita
    beldam
    also beldame, "aged woman," 1570s; earlier "grandmother" (mid-15c.), from dame (q.v.) in the sense of "mother" + bel-, Middle English prefix expressing relationship (as in belfader, belsire "grandfather"), from Old French bel, belle "beautiful, fair, fine" (see belle). This "dire

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