Shrine
/ʃraɪn/noun
A holy or sacred place, especially a small structure or place associated with a deity, saint, or relic.
Did you know?English shrine ultimately comes from Latin scrinium, a container for papers or scrolls, so the word’s spiritual aura grew out of an ordinary object used to hold precious things.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sker-
“to cut, separate”
Latin
Latin
scrinium
“a box, case, or container for papers, scrolls, or valuables”
Late Latin
Latin
scrīnium
“a chest or case for keeping sacred objects or documents”
Old French
Old French
escrin
“a casket, chest, or small box”
Middle English
English
shryne
“a reliquary or container for sacred objects”
Modern English
English
shrine
“a sacred place or structure devoted to worship or reverence”